Go Down a Storm
by Beckon
Summary: Fujin was looking straight into the oncoming storm clouds that were rolling in towards them- seemingly stuck in slow motion for now, but certainly not for long. The dark clouds were turning black as bolts of lighting inside of them lit them up- creating a momentary blaze across the sky. It felt like he was walking towards Armageddon as he made his way towards the God. [PostGameAU]
1. Chapter 1

The quiet rumbling of thunder outside drew him from sleep.

Kung Jin gave a subtle groan at the sudden awakening, and reluctantly pushed himself up from the bed- one hand rubbing at the back of his neck as he did so. The ever familiar ache of pain throbbed throughout his body, as healing ribs and torn muscles strained with every movement.

It hurt to sit up, let alone get to his feet, but it was doable.

His bones made a chorus of crunching noises as he settled his weight on his legs- forcing him to still long enough to catch his breath.

The darkness of the room seemed to mirror the black clouds that gathered together outside of his propped open windows; their open shutters rattled slightly with the brief wind that blew in, bringing in a cold chill. Normally he preferred weather like this; the dark, quiet atmosphere that was easy to disappear into. But behind rolling clouds, and whistling winds... there was something else stirring.

Something that carried itself in on the lightning that flashed on the horizon.

Slowly redressing, he tried to ignore how the faint candlelight seemed to bring memories to the faint bruises and cuts on his still healing skin. He tried to ignore how the cold breeze made his formerly broken bones ache inside of his body- how it made the barbed scars on the inside of his chest hurt with every breath. Fingers carefully pulled his long, silk-black hair back into its tight tail, causing it to brush well past the base of his neck; thick strands covering the hardened tissue that was stretching itself across once broken skin.

Fingertips brushed against the bruises that were visible between the openings of his uniform, trying to ignore the spotted hints of yellow and purple. They weren't exactly pleasant to look at, but... three weeks ago, they had been even worse; blackened spots of broken tissue and veins; pockets of blood building pressure underneath bruised organs- reminding him of nights spent puking up blood.

Stepping out of his room, Kung Jin stopped long enough to listen to the silence that filled the temple.

Asides from the storm rolling in on the horizon, with the purring thunder, and whispering winds, there were no other noises.

It was just the two of them here- for now.

... Which was a nice break from all the chaos that had filled the weeks behind him.

A nice break from the non-stop hustling of the Special Forces base, as well as the Jinsei and Shaolin temple; a nice break from the arguments that tried- and _failed_ \- to be quiet behind closed doors. An escape from hospital visits and uncomfortable beds- as well as the uncomfortable chairs and benches in the waiting room.

A nice escape from all the bad news that was cultivating on the surface world.

The Wind Temple consisted of mostly courtyards and platforms that overlooked the circulating clouds around and below them. The courtyards floated around on their own accord, shifting directions from time to time- sometimes raising and lowering themselves, so they were always in a different position every morning. The temple did consist of a few buildings, but mostly just personal bedrooms and archives used to store documents and a few rare artifacts. It's main purpose was to watch and observe the surface world without directly interfering; it was a place of solitude and peace.

Or at least, it used to be.

Stepping out onto one of the many courtyards, he paused slightly as he noticed Fujin standing at the far end of it- rather dangerously close to the fatal drop on the other side of the edge. A strong gust of wind could've pushed him off had he not had the power over it.

Still, such power did not stop the Wind God's long, white braid from being manipulated by the wind regardless; it was batted around wildly behind him.

Then again, his own black strands were being blown around by the wind as well- whipping wildly into his face before he used one hand to brush the loose hair aside.

Fujin was looking straight into the oncoming storm clouds that were rolling in towards them- seemingly stuck in slow motion for now, but certainly not for long. The dark clouds were turning black as brief bolts of lighting inside of them lit them up- creating a momentary blaze across the sky.

It felt like he was walking towards Armageddon as he made his way towards the God.

The white-haired man turned at his approach; his pupil-less eyes glowing white for a few seconds before they settled on him. A brief smile found its way to his lips and his tense body relaxed. "Good morning, Jin. Did you sleep well?"

"Well enough," he answered- simplest at that, before he nodded towards the dark horizon. "Storm's still rolling in, I see."

After the long, bloody ordeal with Shinnok, Earthrealm itself was left in somewhat of an unstable state. Not so much due to Shinnok's attempted corruption, but... rather Raiden's. Despite his weakened state, the Thunder God was still able to cleanse the Jinsei Chamber of Shinnok's dark energy, but not without it taking a heavy toll on him- both physically and mentally.

By absorbing the pure, corrupted energy, Raiden himself, guardian of Earthrealm, became corrupted as well.

His energy was chaotic and unforgiving- summoning storms all across Earthrealm without control.

Fujin was able to calm the storms to some, small degree, but there was little else that he could do- little else that anyone could do really. The Thunder God was in a comatose state for the time being; his body wounded and exhausted beyond repair, even as the dark energy cultivated underneath his skin. Even Master Bo Rai Cho, who was currently looking after him, was using any spell, or charm he could to lessen the escaping energy- to little avail though.

... Even the Wind Temple was not safe from the corrupted energy, which sparked streaks of red lightning across the sky.

"Despite my best abilities, there does not appear to be anything that I can do to stop it," Fujin replied, giving a heavy sigh as he looked back to the dark clouds once more. "We have no choice but to wait for my brother to regain consciousness- and hope that he is better able to control himself."

"It might be best to just... let it happen," Kung Jin offered. "No use in killing yourself trying to stop it."

It seemed to kill the man enough to give up on an already losing battle, but he gave a subtle nod. "I suppose so," he agreed, before he turned his attention back to him. "How are you feeling?"

A change of topic, not unusual.

"Better," he answered, resisting the urge to touch at his neck once more. He could still feel those hands wrapped around it- fingers against his throat, thumbs pressing hard against the back of his skull; he could still hear what might've been a pop as his head was jerked sharply to one side. The resulting flood of darkness, and the sound alone left cold chills down his spine. "A little sore still, but everything is healing- or at least, has healed up for the most part. I'm just glad I'm not tracking blood everywhere I go anymore."

"You did take quite a beating-" Fujin started, before he stiffened slightly as he caught his own words. "... Sorry."

Kung Jin spared the man with a brief, quiet laugh, and waved the comment off. "No, no, you're right, after all," he insisted. "The first time was unfair though, and the second time was... well, we were outnumbered and outmatched; we still pulled through- abet a bit too close for comfort. At the very least though, you have to admit that I am looking better now. No more blood bags, or IV lines."

The first time was against Kotal Kahn, just after he broke the Reiko Accords after obtaining Shinnok's amulet for himself. He had their team imprisoned almost immediately, but they... well, they tried not to go down without a fight. The four of them, Cassie, Jacqui, Takeda, and himself, managed to break loose from the guards, but didn't anticipate more Osh-Tekk to be out in the camp- which looking back on it now, should've been a given.

Despite sheer panic, and giving the battle everything they had, the four of them just ended up getting beaten into bloody messes. He didn't think he'd forget the scattered sounds of everyone screaming as they were all dragged to the ground one by one; the screams of getting kicked and stomped by four, maybe five Osh-Tekk at once. One of them even managed to dislocate Takeda's shoulder, while another tore the skin off of Cassie's cheek.

Jacqui put up the most fight out of the four of them- killing two Osh-Tekk, and taking a shot at Kotal Kahn himself before she was knocked completely unconscious. She had to be carried off to the prison cells, while the three of them were mostly dragged there.

And the stagnant air of the prison cells was even harder to breath in with a broken nose and a bruised lung full of blood.

The second time was at the Jinsei Temple, going in against the Revenant and eventually Shinnok himself. They barely survived the Revenant, with both Jacqui and Takeda taking crippling injuries- and then further injuries in their attempts to hold back Sindel and Kitana, while he and Cassie went into the temple.

It was even worse inside.

He was eventually downed by D'Vorah when she pierced him with one of her weird, extra appendages; the poison laced stinger knocked him unconscious as soon as he hit the ground.

After that, things were a haze of hospital stays and blood transfusions.

Of long nights spent in the bathroom, puking up blood every time his body was strong enough to urge his muscles to contract.

A haze of waiting in the lobby to hear back the results of a test, or a surgery.

Fujin offered what sounded like a nervous chuckle, still looking as though he heavily regretted his previous word choices. "Come, we should head inside then- the rain will be upon us soon enough."

Kung Jin nodded and started back towards one of the buildings- trying to ignore the sharp crack of lighting in the distance.

* * *

 _It was late when he finally got back home._

 _Most of the household was already asleep- thankfully. It made it easier for him to sneak back in without getting caught- and without anyone in the family realizing that he had been gone for most of the night anyways. Not that they normally caught him whenever he snuck out, let alone back in. But a few times before, someone just happened to be taking a midnight walk after a bad dream and stumbled across him. And considering the night that he had had, he really didn't want to have to sit through one of his father's lecture about the family- or whatever it was he dragged on about._

 _Pulling back his dark hood, Kung Jin let it fall around his neck as he made his way down the narrow corridor- thinking of nothing else but finally getting into bed and sleeping this night off. He had stayed out later than usual, mostly by accident, but now his body ached to get some sleep._

 _Bypassing one of the outdoor archways, he paused as he caught something in the corner of his eye, before he slowly backtracked; his attention caught on the figure he barely spotted standing outside. The archway lead out into a private courtyard where... the family memorial to Kung Lao was. It was a single, large white pillar that was almost a full story in height; black and gold runes were carved over the four sides of it, detailing the former Champion's life, and eventual end._

 _Hardly anyone in the family went out to look at it._

 _And the only person he had ever seen out there was... Lord Raiden on a few occasions._

 _Kung Jin felt that familiar sense of anger stir inside of him at the thought- hell, just the sight of the Thunder God left a churning feeling in his stomach._

 _..._

 _The God had no right to seek pity when he was the one who not only brought forth Kung Lao's death, but Lui Kang's as well. He had no right to seek pity when he was the one who fucked up, and did nothing to try and fix it._

 _And yet, his family still trusted the Thunder God- still praised him, and brought him gifts even when they themselves were struggling._

 _It was just easier for him to go out of his way to avoid Lord Raiden- which was one of the reasons he was always coming home at such a late time. Not to say that Lord Raiden visited all too often, but he never wanted to take his chance at running into him. He had already done so the week before, and he wasn't looking to repeat the conversation._

 _... But a second look to the man outside proved him wrong._

 _"Lord Fujin?" Kung Jin questioned, as he slowly stepped out into the open courtyard with the man. He was still a little uncertain of the man's identity- even though he well-recognized the white braid that fell across his back. It just... wasn't often that the Wind God came around._

 _The man turned at the call, and studied him for a second before he offered a brief smile. "Jin, I hope I didn't wake you. I know it's late, but- wait, are you just getting in?"_

 _Shit._

 _"Uh... no," he started, although he knew well that Fujin would see right through his lie. Then again, it wasn't like he was really trying to sell it all that well. "What are you doing here? You're rarely around now and days."_

 _It might've been months, maybe almost a year, since he had last seen the Wind God- and even then, his visit might've been for a few minutes at most. While Lord Raiden dealt with the Special Forces, and the tasks of handling Earthrealm; Lord Fujin's duty stayed just within the Sky Temple- handling whatever it was that was there. Or at least, that's where he thought the Wind God stayed; the man could've been anywhere else for all he knew._

 _"Yes, I... the temple requires quite a bit of supervision, and there's personal work that keeps me busy- mostly watching after Master Bo' Rai Cho. But you are correct, it has been far too long," Fujin answered, before he looked back to the pillar in front of him; his entire body visibly heavy at the sight of it. "I was feeling homesick for my friend, and... felt the need to visit and pay my respects." he paused slightly; his fingers touching at the pillar- gently tracing out some of the carved runes._

 _Kung Jin watched the man gently interact with the memorial, and took note of the heaviness in his features._

 _It was common knowledge that, between the two elemental Gods, the Wind God was far more relaxed than his brother. He was hardly seen with a scowl, which was a common trademark of the Thunder God. Then again, Fujin was hardly seen as much as Raiden, so it was difficult to make an honest comparison between them. But whenever the Wind God was around, he always seemed to be in good spirits._

 _So, seeing the man with such a heavy look of burden was something new- something difficult to comprehend._

 _"You alright?" Kung Jin asked; his own voice slow and cautious._

 _"I'm sorry, I don't mean to worry you. I just... guilt is the hardest to overcome, and the passing decades have worn heavy on me."_

 _Even his words shook with a sense of heaviness that couldn't be described._

 _Kung Jin hesitated with moving closer; he didn't want to break the God's sense of privacy and vulnerability on the matter- and yet, he found himself stepping forward anyways. It didn't take long before he was standing next to the man; it didn't take much to notice Fujin's tired look, and the thin sense of concentration he had on the pillar. It was almost as though he was seeing and reliving all of the memories that were carved underneath his fingertips._

 _"I should've done more," Fujin continued. "I should've tried to stop what was happening, or at least tried to intervene- something, anything." he paused once more, letting his fingers trail down along the memorial stone. "It's so hard to look back on it all, and think of what could've been done... and know that you did nothing."_

 _The words hit hard- leaving behind a sense of emptiness that seemed to echo in the Wind God's tone._

 _... He had never heard Raiden admit to such a thing._

 _As if the Thunder God would ever admit that he was wrong about something._

 _"But you don't want to listen to the ramblings of an old, unwise man," Fujin spoke, as he turned back to him- his demeanor shifting completely. Perhaps out of necessity. Out of no longer wanting to worry, or risk dragging him down into the same pit that the God was in. "Raiden tells me you may join the ranks of the Shaolin."_

 _Double shit._

 _"I... yeah, I'm still debating on it," Kung Jin admitted, nervously rubbing at the back of his neck._

 _"You would fit in well," Fujin assured. "The blood of the Shaolin runs in your family._

 _He hesitated, tugging on the crumbled fold of his hood now at the words._

 _He had considered the offer before, and while it seemed to be the kind of guiding light that he needed in his life... He had yet to convince himself that they would actually accept him. Every time he so much as thought about it, it just left a sick, sinking feeling in his chest. "I just... I'm not sure if I'll fit in as well as everyone thinks I will. I mean, I have a lot to live up to if I do it."_

 _"Worry not," Fujin replied, "you will make a path for your own name in due time."_

 _"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Kung Jin spoke, as he lightly punched the Wind God on the arm. "I'll keep that in mind."_

 _Fujin laughed in response, before he punched him in return. "When you make your decision, let me know, alright? In due time, with proper training, you could join the White Lotus as well."_

 _"Let's start with boot camp first, and go from there."_

* * *

It didn't take long for the storm to finally roll in.

The moment Fujin stopped his attempts to control it, it came at them with the full fury of a corrupted God.

The two of them were barely inside- barely had the doors closed before the rain poured down onto the stone rooftop; it sounded like bullets hitting the walls, bouncing and echoing all around the building. The sound was impossible to ignore. It left a hollow throbbing sensation in his chest that he couldn't quite understand- or at least, one he didn't want to come to terms with just yet.

Every howl of wind could be heard pounding away at the sealed window shutters and doors; a far cry from the subtle rattling that the cold, morning breeze had made before. The wind chimes that hung on the corners of every roof sounded like they were screaming as the heavy winds battered them around mercilessly.

It made his breath choke inside of his throat.

Every roar of thunder seemed to vibrate in the floors and walls- making threats of collapsing the building down on top of them while they were trapped inside. It rattled in his ribs and in his bones- almost made his teeth chatter against themselves.

He couldn't recall a time he had ever heard, let alone witnessed, such a storm.

Nothing short of the Jinsei corruption anyways.

Bleeding red vortexes swallowing blue skies.

 _... He'd rather not think on it._

"I haven't seen such a storm like this since Shao Kahn's take of Edenia," Fujin spoke, half-seated at one of the window sills; fingers had partly pulled one of the shutters opened enough for him to peer outside. And he hardly reacted to the sharp rain that rushed in- hitting his skin like needles and stones. "The death of Queen Sindel hit Raiden hard- harder than he would ever admit. We had storms for a solid month before he finally calmed."

Kung Jin looked up from the faint candlelight in front of him, and watched as Fujin continued to peer out into the oncoming eye of the storm. And he humored himself with the theory that that was why the God's eyes were depleted of color and pupils. Look into the eye of the storm, the eye of the devil, and it would erase everything. "Any idea of when this one might end?" he questioned, speaking through unsettled nerves that refused to calm through meditative breaths.

"There is no telling. Raiden is... not the person he should be- that he needs to be right now," Fujin answered. "I will give him some more time, but if I have to intervene on this, than I will."

He knew such intervention would not be easy for the Wind God- but at the same time, it was not an easy choice for him to make either.

He couldn't even begin to imagine the kind of destruction that was going on down below, on the surface world. Hell, he could only imagine how the SF base was functioning- or, rather not functioning. General Blade probably had everyone locked up in the emergency bunkers for the time being- hoping to wait out the storm.

"You have a lot on your plate," Kung Jin remarked.

"Yes, but... this is not the first time this has occurred," Fujin reminded, before he pushed the shutter closed and got to his feet. He seemed to pause a moment, perhaps praying to the storm, before he turned and walked back to him. The room was small, and served as a general common area for those few guest who were permitted to stay at the Wind Temple; which meant that it wasn't used often, and was devoid of most furniture, or decoration. The center of the room provided a small, square sitting area which had been cut out of the flooring, and had a single step that lead down into it.

During the cold months, a kotatsu table was placed in the center to provide warmth.

But for now, a normal, low-sitting table provided a lantern and several candles to keep the room from disappearing into total darkness.

He watched as the man stepped down into the sitting area with him, before he sat down close by.

"Let us talk about something far less... dire. This subject is not good for my health, and we have enough weather-related issues as it is. We cannot afford to add anything else to this mess."

Kung Jin chuckled lightly at the remark, and watched as the light of the candles caught the white glow of Fujin's eyes- spreading an orange-like hue against his features. It was weirdly mesmerizing, but highlighted the dark rings underneath his eyes just the same. "Well, as entertaining as it is to hear you recite the entire White Lotus history from memory... I'd much rather not hear it again- if you don't mind."

"Then there is very little conversation to be had here," Fujin replied with his own laugh. It was light, and full-hearted; a genuine sound sparked from his lips. He turned and set those glowing white eyes on him- the corners of his light smile faltering just slightly. "... Are you certain you're alright?"

He guessed it wasn't difficult to see his nerves pulsating with the storm.

"I'm fine; I promise," Kung Jin assured anyways. "I stayed a week in the hospital, and still had to go back periodically those following weeks too. This is the first time I've had a quiet place to relax and... properly get a handle on everything that happened. I'm just trying to savor the peace of it while I can."

If his answer did anything to relax the God's concern over him, it didn't show.

"And you're certain you're not in any pain?"

"I told you, no," he reminded, fingers rubbing at the back of his neck subconsciously- picking at the scar tissue. "Just... a few aches here and there, nothing serious- nothing more than just trying to get back into the feeling of my body again."

He didn't want to be entirely untruthful to the God.

Fujin went silent this time, although his eyes remained settled on him- as though seeing and hearing every time his body protested the smallest of movements. "I was worried... for a long time about you."

"I know you were," Kung Jin nodded, managing a quiet, brisk laugh under his breath. "You kept waking me up every time I fell asleep just to make sure that I was still breathing right."

"You were so heavily wrapped up- it was hard to tell."

He knew Fujin's concerns were real, and justified- but he still let himself laugh a little at them. Not because it was something humorous to look back on now, but rather... he couldn't fight the man's concerns. He could still remember lying in that hospital bed. His chest so heavily bandaged that sometimes it felt like he couldn't breathe. Thick bandages so tightly wrapped around him that he almost feared falling asleep- thinking he would stop breathing in the middle of the night. It was pathetic.

And despite a cocktail of painkillers making up most of his blood count, he remembered feeling the thick tube inside of his chest; the one that had been forced into the open wound D'Vorah had left in him- draining out the poison that still remained in his system. He still remembered the overwhelming sickness of having his blood partly drained because of the damages the poison had done, before cleaner blood had been put back into him.

An ever rotating circle of IV drips and blood transfusion bags.

After the shit storm they had gone through, the team looked pretty pathetic in the aftermath. They could laugh at themselves about it now- teasing one another about the broken bones and how the medicine had made them sick. But three weeks ago, it had been hell- and the furtherest thing from a laughing matter.

"Can we not talk about this?" Kung Jin started. "I just... I've had to have this same conversation enough times already; I'd like to have just one place where I don't have to think about what happened back there."

Where he didn't have to think about how, as a team, they barely managed to escape from the Osh-Tekk twice with their lives. Once in Outworld, and once in the frozen forest outside the Jinsei Temple. Where he didn't have to think about the snow turning red with blood when Cassie packed it against her arm- nearly stripped of skin and down to tendons. Where he didn't have to think about the smell of acid, or burning skin as Takeda barely escaped with his sight- barely avoiding a fate similar to that of his father's. Where he didn't have to think about Jacqui and the crunching sound her ribs made with every movement- forcing blood up through her lips and down her chin.

"Just like you don't want to talk about the storms, I don't want to talk about... any of this," he continued, as he made a vague gesture to the faint healing spots of yellow and purple that were splattered across his skin still.

Fujin didn't fight him on that front.

"So what does that leave us then?"

Kung Jin offered a slight shrug. "Not much- if anything," he answered. Any and all current events were still wrapped up in the ordeal with Shinnok- which again, was the furtherest thing he even wanted to think about right now. He felt himself physically flinch as the thunder cracked wildly outside. His mind immediately went racing back to the memories of frozen trees getting blown in half by Cassie's grenades- collapsing them on top of unsuspecting Osh-Tekk; giving them the few seconds they needed to survive the invading siege.

It reminded him again of the red whirlwind of energy above the Jinsei temple.

The heavy atmosphere of the Jinsei chamber itself- as it crackled and howled with dark energy.

He felt a hand brush against his arm in response- no doubt picking up on his battled nerves.

There was a moment of stillness, a moment of testing, before fingers gently trailed down his forearm and down to his wrist. And when he didn't object to the gesture, he felt Fujin pick his hand up, before fingers slowly interlaced with his own.

His grip was loose and subtle against a faintly bruised palm, before fingers gently squeezed with a faint hint of reassurance.

It melted the tension that had settled and stiffened in his body.

"It's really picking up out there," Kung Jin spoke, uncomfortable with the elongated silence, but with little else to provide conversation with.

"It's only starting," Fujin reminded.

"... Perfect."


	2. Chapter 2

_He guessed it wasn't all that surprising that he was accepted into the Shaolin Academy._

 _Well... maybe to a small degree- but only because for the longest time, he was almost certain that he was doing something wrong. It just felt like the entry exam had been all too easy for him._

 _The small group that he had gotten paired with all seemed to struggle while he passed through each course with flying colors. There was little down time for talking or questions amongst each new recruit... but even the few times they did have a chance to speak, Kung Jin said as little as possible. Despite all the questions and remarks that were thrown his way, he avoided telling anyone his family name, or even so much as hinted at his lineage._

 _Even after the exam was done with and behind them, and the real training started, he had nothing to say about it._

 _The last thing he wanted was for everyone to pin his acceptance into the Shaolin Academy based on favoritism rather than his skills._

 _He worked just as much sweat and blood into his training as everyone else did- if not more._

 _He didn't want all of that effort to be thrown under the bus._

 _Of course, it wasn't like he could really hide his family from Master Bo' Rai Cho- but thankfully the drunk bastard kept his mouth shut on the topic. Or at least he did when there were other students around._

 _Still, it didn't stop the man from occasionally pushing him harder than the rest of the class- much to everyone's amusement it would seem. Kung Jin guessed it was just some kind of initiative thing, but it hardly bothered him; the extra tasks did little to slow him down, and only seemed to bring a spill of drunken laughter to the teacher. And only behind closed doors would Bo' Rai Cho admit that where Lui Kang had been attentive, and where Kung Lao had been motivated... he simply seemed to be cocky._

 _Lui Kang had done every extra task asked of him because it was asked of him, and because he wanted to train as hard as he could._

 _Kung Lao had done so to prove himself, and to prove to everyone else that he was just as good- if not better._

 _Meanwhile he did it to show off- to remind everyone that looks were deceiving, and that he was far from living the rest of his life out as a simple nobody._

 _Kung Jin chose not to argue, nor agree with the man- simply because he wasn't sure if it was an accurate portrayal of him. Sure, he occasionally liked to remind everyone about certain skills he had; like how he had been the first, and so far only, student to master the defensive kick Master Bo' Rai Cho had taught them. That didn't mean he had simply joined just to become a show off._

 _Things were far more complicated than that._

 _... Despite the entry exam, and continuous training, as well as staying on the Shaolin Temple grounds, the whole thing was still a little surreal to him._

 _He wasn't exactly used to the prospect of being the up and coming poster boy for the new generation of Shaolin._

 _It wasn't like he was regarded as the black sheep of his family or anything, but... it wasn't like anyone had had much faith in him to do something of importance with his life. He just always got the impression that no one thought he would ever amount to much- but it wasn't like anyone had outright said that._

 _Maybe it had been in their body language, or in their phrasing._

 _Or maybe it was just him impounding his own negative thoughts onto himself._

 _Wiping the sweat from his brow, Kung Jin lined up his next shot and focused his sights on the target in front of him. A small, red-painted board a good two hundred yards away- an easy enough shot for him._

 _He drew in a quick breath and held it in his chest as he drew the arrow back- biding his time as he waited for the right moment._

 _And then he released it._

 _The thin arrow was hard to follow, but it was destined to hit the bullseye regardless; he knew that much._

 _... Or at least, it would've had the arrow not broken sharply to his left all of a sudden._

 _And had it not, unfortunately, lodged itself into a nearby tree._

 _He nearly dropped his bow at the sight of it all- a little shocked, but mostly questioning how the hell that had just happened. He knew what he was aiming at, what he was aiming for- and it certainly didn't involve a tree._

 _That was until a brief laugh caught his attention, in which he looked up in time to see the Wind God manifesting himself into view. There was no telling how long the man had been there, standing only a few yards from him, but... the man's reveal answered all of his questions._

 _"You cheater," Kung Jin started._

 _"You should always be prepared for the unexpected in battle," Fujin spoke. And perhaps his homemade lesson would've had more merit to it had he still not been laughing throughout the words. "And always remember that the wind and air are not always to your advantage."_

 _He scoffed lightly at the words as he started towards the tree his arrow was currently lodged in. "Great piece of advice, Fujin, had I not already invested my skills into TWO projectiles." his remark only seemed to further the man's laughter and he shook his head at the fun the man was having at his expense. "Just so you know, if I can't get this arrow loose, you owe me a new one."_

 _Unfortunately, the damn thing looked to be pretty deeply embedded in the tree trunk, so he didn't exactly have high-expectations of its retrieval._

 _But he tried anyways._

 _An arrow was an arrow after all._

 _It took a few heavy tugs before he managed to get the thing freed- only to realize that the tip of it had been snapped clean off._

 _"Well, you still owe me a new arrowhead at least- and this was one of my obsidian ones too, damn." He only had a handful of the tips carved from obsidian, and he tried to take extra care of those ones. They could withstand the usual training boards easily; a solid oak tree though, not so much._

 _"Where do you get your arrows?" Fujin questioned, sounding as though he might actually pay his part in return for the damages._

 _Kung Jin continued to roll the damaged arrow around with his fingers; the shaft hadn't been cracked, or damaged in any other way, so he could still salvage it. "I make them," he answered, dropping the arrow into his quiver as he turned back to the Wind God._

 _"You... make them? By hand?"_

 _The God spoke with a small sense of disbelief- a small tone he had gotten used to._

 _Why did everyone seem so surprised by that fact?_

 _He gave a brief shrug in response. "Yeah, it's really not all that hard. Well... you gotta use a good, solid type of wood, or else the shaft will crack- and decent enough feathers for the fletching, or else the arrow will fly sideways. As for the arrowheads, it just depends on what I want to make them out of, or what I can get my hands on. Flint's pretty common and easy to find, not to mention shape. But every now and then I can get a piece or two of obsidian, which is what I prefer in the long run. It's a little stronger, and makes a sharper cut- not to mention, it's not as flimsy. But flint's easy to catch fire, so that's always a nice party trick to show off."_

 _Fujin offered another quiet laugh as he moved to cross his arms. "You have Kung Lao's creative spirit, it would seem," he started. "He always wanted to see if he could set his hat on fire and get it to maintain after he threw it. Unfortunately, it rotated too quickly, and the fire kept getting blown out- but can't say he didn't try, perhaps a few times too many though."_

 _Kung Jin chuckled at the thought- and then tried not to linger on it._

 _"I'm sure that had to be a sight to see."_

 _"It really was- with the exception of the frequent visits to the healers," Fujin nodded. There was a small, lingering moment of silence between his words, before the man continued. "He would've been proud of you, you know."_

 _He felt himself still at the words, and tried to ignore what felt like the ground shifting under his feet. Fingers subconsciously traced the engravings on his staff, while he tried not to think on if anyone had ever said that they were proud of him. Did it really even count in this situation though? Kung Lao wasn't here to prove it himself, and... it wasn't like they really even knew each other; he was barely a few months old when the man was killed._

 _"Well... it's nice to know that someone would be," Kung Jin remarked, pulling himself away from the thought. "Not that, you know, I really need it." yeah, smooth recovery on that one._

 _He watched as the Wind God walked over to him and felt the man's hands clap him pretty heavy on the shoulders- giving him a brief shake. The gesture was either given out of comfort, or reassurance; it was hard to tell._

 _"I'm proud of you too," Fujin continued; his eyes soft and lips slightly curled in his trademark smile. "I know this couldn't have been easy for you to do."_

 _That... was an understatement._

 _To the tenth degree._

 _He felt himself almost sort of melt underneath the man's comforting touch. "Thanks, Fujin, that uh... that means a lot." the words were low in count, but spoken out of genuine relief and acknowledgment. It was genuine acceptance, a genuine sense of pride towards him._

 _Fujin nodded and shook him once more by the shoulders before he released him. "Good. Now then, I request to see one of these fire arrows of yours. It's been too long since I've last seen the wind catch fire, and after the day I've had, I'm rather overdue for a spot of entertainment."_

* * *

Kung Jin woke to the feeling of the floor humming with thunder underneath him, to the continuous howling of the wind outside.

The combination of noises still set off tremors in his chest and underneath his ribs- abet to a smaller degree now, thankfully. He might finally have a chance to settle the aching in his head, and the familiar, phantom ache that had spread throughout his body.

...

But he also woke to the warmth of Fujin next to him, to the faint touch of fingertips gently trailing up and down his back; slow and steady. And he let himself linger on the gesture for awhile- faking a sense of sleep in order to take in the subtle comfort that the gesture offered. It was much easier, and nicer to focus on that instead; to focus on something that didn't remind him of anything but warmth and comfort.

He didn't even realize that he had fallen asleep, but he must've had done so at some point- which wasn't surprising.

After battling nightmares and night terrors for three weeks, it was nice to get a few hours of decent, uninterrupted sleep.

He had slept facing the small wall behind him- using it to block out the bright lightning strikes that still bled through his closed eyelids. And still continued to do so every chance it got. He was using the side of Fujin's thigh to prop his head up, trying to keep his neck from getting stiff, and had partly buried his face into the man's hip- further blocking out any other visuals of the storm.

One hand was slightly curled against the man's back, fingers tucked into the overlay of his open vest. He could feel that painful kind of stiffness settling into the joints of his fingers, implying that he must've been clenching them together for an extended period of time. So maybe he hadn't exactly escaped those nightmares just yet. They didn't physically wake him though, so that in itself was an improvement.

He felt Fujin's fingers move to brush through his hair now- carefully skirting the few, loose strands off of his shoulders and away from his face. The gesture was more so for Fujin though, as it allowed the God to run his fingers through his hair in one motion; it allowed the silk-black locks to slide between his fingers like water with every slow run.

It was a simple gesture that he enjoyed.

One that he didn't get the chance to enjoy very often.

But Kung Jin felt those fingers hesitate slightly, before the callous pads of them brushed against the scar that ran across the base of his neck. Slow and cautious, and every bit afraid of the knotted tissue underneath his fingertips.

And it took everything in him to not react to it, to not give up his false position.

Still, the thoughts and questions hounded him as he felt slow, careful strokes against the still relatively fresh scar.

... He couldn't help but wonder how Fujin might've felt walking into his hospital room when the ordeal with Shinnok was over with. He was unconscious for the first day or so after the ordeal; he could barely remember even being transported to the SF hospital in the first place. Still couldn't even now. It was a black spot in his memory, a few hours of time lost to the blur between pain and morphine.

He had to have made a horrible first impression on the Wind God though.

Fujin had walked in on him with thick tubes in his chest and arms, with a mess of IV lines taped to every vein in his body it had felt.

Had walked in on him with a thick brace strapped tight against his blackened neck, with sutures freshly stitched into his skin to cover the tedious slicing of a scalpel. The work of a steady hand that was hopeful in fixing his cracked vertebrae and compressed nerves.

Skin revealed the heavy bruising of where hands had grabbed him from the back.

But the X-ray showed where the attempt to break his neck had (thankfully) failed.

Although that wasn't to say that damage hadn't been done in the wake of the failed strike. Stepping out of that jail cell, a mess of blood and teeth at his feet, the combination of agony and adrenaline kept him conscious. A correct twist would've left him dead, and an incorrect one would've left him paralyzed from the neck down; he managed to get stuck somewhere between the two. Fingertips and limbs moved fine, but felt heavy and numb against his working bones and joints. His persistence and his training kept him going forward- knowing fully well that stressing the injury could do more damage down the road.

Probably some of the more terrifying hours of his life.

But the present revealed nothing to be scared about anymore.

Still... Kung Jin wondered if Fujin had thought of Kung Lao every time the man woke him up from his medically-induced sleep- every time the God brought his hand to his shoulder and gave it a subtle shake. And there would be some guilt in Fujin's features over waking him, knowing well that he needed to rest, but... more noticeably, there was relief. Relief that he was still alive, still fighting.

He wondered if Fujin thought of Shao Kahn's hands instead of Osh-Tekk, heavy and large, grabbing him from the back and snapping his neck with no hesitation, no remorse. A nightmare set on repeat again and again in the back of his head.

The thought of it made him sick to his stomach.

It forced him to slowly roll onto his back, and reluctantly accept that he was conscious now- and that there was no going back anytime soon. So for now, Kung Jin let his neck rest against the God's thigh, and tried to ignore the heat that lingered against the still red scar.

"Ah, you're awake- good," Fujin spoke, sounding genuinely relieved as he pulled his hand away for the time being. The man had to be stiff in the legs and hips from sitting in the same position for so long, obviously not wanting to disturb him, and yet he still made no motion to move. Didn't even so much as complain about the minor pain, which Kung Jin was more than certain he was in. "You fell asleep in the middle of my retelling of the Shaolin Battle of '87, so now I'll get to finish it-"

"Oh Gods," he interrupted with a loud, forceful- mildly exaggerated- groan. He moved his hands to cradle his face for a moment, hearing Fujin's quiet laughter in the background. "Just... spare me this one time, will you? It was bad enough that I had to endure it in the hospital."

"You asked me to help you get to sleep, and those stories put you to sleep every time," Fujin reminded. "For once, it was not of my own doing- and you know that."

... Okay, he would give the God that one.

Those stories, while entertaining and telling in their own right, could make him doze off pretty righteously. And for those few nights where he couldn't sleep through the painkillers, it was a nice white noise to hear in the background. It probably helped that Fujin told the stories in the same tone every time, and that his voice was soothing and calm to listen to in the first place. He was always able to capture the feeling of each story, able to convey the emotions and stresses onto any listening audience- captivating new recruits with the tales of what they too could be a part of some day.

It was difficult to tell now, but... he would probably end up letting the God go through each story eventually. They helped to take his mind off of things, and he liked listening to Fujin's voice; it sounded nice against the backdrop of thunder and howling wind.

Dropping his hands from his face, Kung Jin moved to fold them over his chest, and took in the temporary silence around him.

There were still bullets of rain against the rooftops- there was still rolling thunder, and spitting winds outside.

Streaks of lighting that bled through the closed shutters, creating red pools that flashed across the hardwood floors- creating moving illusions of nightmares that stood alive around him.

It didn't bother him as much as it had before.

Or at least, that's what he had convinced himself to believe.

It wasn't long before Kung Jin felt Fujin's fingers carefully moving through his hair once more; the man gently brushed a few loose strands away from his face, before he ran the side of his thumb across the curve of his brow. It was soothing; it was something for him to focus on against the backdrop of a low-key armageddon that still played heavily outside.

He felt his nerves slowly wind back down, allowing him to leave behind bruised lungs and cracked vertebrae for now.

The clash of thunder no longer triggered a harsh rumbling in his chest anymore- a miracle for the time being, it would seem.

He felt the curve of Fujin's palm brush against his cheek as fingers briefly skimmed downward through his hair; a simple excuse to touch him, Kung Jin was certain. A subtle play of his smooth palm, worn and cracked by eras, and centuries before his time. The God had witnessed plenty of rises and falls across the realms; he knew of Edenia, long since forgotten now- knew of its people, its traditions, of its Queen who had enchanted his own brother with her strength.

Fujin knew of worlds and people long before war, and knew of the losses seen and experienced in the aftermaths.

This was not the first storm he had faced- and it certainly wouldn't be his last.

And yet, he saw each day as another step forward, as another dawn that he needed to rise and witness. No matter what the sun might shine down upon- whether it be another day, or simply the last one.

Eras, and centuries, and worlds lived on in the palm of his hand- pressed subtle and warm against his cheek.

Poetic in its own right.

But it wasn't enough to distract him from the quiet mutterings that slipped underneath the Wind God's breath.

"Fujin," Kung Jin started, taking note that the man didn't look down to him at his voice. Instead, the God kept his eyes focused on something on the other end of the room- probably something arbitrary, just something for him to settle on for the time being. Something to distract himself with amongst the flashing color of lights illuminating around them. The candlelight still created circles of fire in his eyes though- filling the white voids with moving sparks of orange and yellow.

"Hm?" a quiet hum of acknowledgment.

"I can _still_ hear you reciting the battle of '87."

The Wind God paused for the moment- but it was quite easy to see how he was trying to hold back the look of having been caught. The corners of his lips twitching just briefly under the strain of trying to keep them straight. "I can't leave a story unfinished," Fujin insisted, breaking the attempted illusion with a grin as he looked down to him. "You know this."

All too well.

If there was one thing to be taken from it though, the man was consistent. Despite his age, his memory could recount and retell stories from decades ago without skipping a single detail. And they were told the same way again and again- never once implying that maybe there was something he had forgotten, or embellished on. Instead, he told the history as it was, as it had been- victories and losses alike.

"The Shaolin went head-to-head against an army of Oni's and successfully defended Earthrealm in the war against the Netherrealm," Kung Jin quickly recited, taking every shortcut he knew through the story. "There. Story finished. You're done."

Fujin responded with a brief laugh, seemingly amused by his ability to shorthand the whole thing. "Yes, well... I suppose so. At least now I know that you've listened to me enough times for the story to stick," he remarked. "It was a good battle; it really showcased Earthrealm's ability to pull together and withstand any and all opposition. We were the underdogs then, and we still came out on top."

Kung Jin supposed there was a lesson there that could be related to the now times.

In terms that... none of them should've survived the events that had happened surrounding Shinnok's revival. But they did. Not easily, and not as smoothly, but they were alive and things were... falling back into place; there was little to complain about.

"The White Lotus was wiped out that following year by Onaga's forces, but it was resurrected at the start of Shao Kahn's reign a few decades later. We got lucky."

There was always a hint of sadness in the God's tone when he recited that part of the story- typically the darker era that no one wanted to think about, let alone talk about. No doubt, with every retelling, the man remembered the countless massacre of friends and allies alike.

The cycle always seemed to repeat itself.

Whenever the Shaolin and the White Lotus rose to power to protect Earthrealm, there always seemed to be... someone, or something waiting around the corner. Waiting to slaughter them when they least-expected it, when they were ill-prepared and unarmed. And without a doubt, it happened nearly every time.

It would take two hands to count the amount of times they had been wiped out- only to rise again a few years later, a little stronger, a little wiser.

Springing up from the ashes of the old like a hard-learned phoenix.

It was a dangerous business for everyone who knew- and yet, there were always plenty of people stepping forward to fill in the spaces. Plenty of people willing to see the Shaolin and White Lotus again.

And after what had happened regarding Shinnok and the Jinsei temple now, there was no doubt that many more Shaolin would step forward.

And he would eventually be one of them.

Pushing himself up, Kung Jin gently rolled his neck to work out a minor kink that had settled in while he had been resting; it was probably because of the odd angle his neck had been at while lying against Fujin's leg. Hell, he had laid down long enough that his shoulders and back were starting to momentarily ache as well. He could sleep like a rock sometimes, which was nice- it was just that the only downfall to it was that it made him wake up feeling stiff like one.

He stilled slightly as he felt Fujin's fingers brush against his back. Cautious and careful- as though afraid one wrong turn and he might accidentally finish the job that the Osh-Tekk had failed to do on him. He tried not to think about it; it was just a thing of the past now, and yet... It seemed impossible to escape.

"I'm fine," Kung Jin quietly assured, rubbing the back of his neck before he managed to catch the God's fingers against his own. A light, subtle grasp that felt warm against his skin- warm and comforting in its own right. He held onto him for a brief moment, loosely interlacing their fingers before he gave a gentle squeeze- mostly for his own benefit. "I guess you just didn't hear me the first time."

"I'm deaf on the right side, you know this," Fujin chuckled.

He shared the same bit of laughter- knowing well that the man was making light of a near-death experience. Two decades before, the Edenian Queen, in all her Revenant form of glory, nearly killed him had Raiden not intervened when he did. Fujin barely escaped with his life, but lost part of his hearing in the wake of it all; it was a fair trade, he supposed, given that the other option was a painful death. The partial deafness hardly seemed to effect the man now though- perhaps he used his power of the wind to help carry voices to him.

The only thing Fujin had to complain about was a buzzing noise in his head every now and again. And the occasional tremor whenever a high-pitched noise sounded off near him- even if it was just the feedback off of a radio.

Kung Jin pulled the God's hand forward and lightly brushed his lips against his knuckles- feeling Fujin squeeze his hand in response to it. "What do you think's going to happen now?"

It wasn't like he wanted to really know the answer to it, but... it was a question that circulated through his head every now and again. Everything up until now, everything that had created this moment to begin with, was still unsolved. The Reiko Accords had been terminated; the ordeal with Quan Chi and Shinnok was over with, considering both of their respective deaths. And in regards to the Revenant...

Silence.

A small, brief pocket of it.

"Let's not think about that right now," Fujin started, his voice tired and low as it whispered against the rain around them. "We're battling one storm as it is- let's not think of another."

... Right.

It would be better to leave the issues regarding the Revenant where they were... on the surface, and far away from them.

Giving a quiet sigh, Kung Jin pulled Fujin's hand forward and brought part of the man's arm over his right shoulder- pulling the Wind God closer to him. He turned his body to his left, moving his free hand back to rest against the man's leg for balance, before he tucked his head into the open curve of Fujin's neck.

He heard the God chuckle quietly at the action, before he felt Fujin carefully drop his arm to wrap around his shoulder instead; the man was still too wary to touch, let alone put his arm close to his neck, for fear of irritating the long-healed injury. It didn't take long before Kung Jin felt the subtle warmth of Fujin's lips as they brushed against his forehead, as fingers interlaced and squeezed together once again.

A careful gesture- silent, yet speaking loud enough amongst the silence of the rain and the howling outside.

"I know you're fine. Maybe not... all the way, not yet at least, but you're alive," Fujin whispered, as he moved to rest his forehead against his, breathing him in. "And there's not a day that goes by where I'm not thankful for that."

...

The God had been scared before- and to an extent, he still was.

Eras of losing friends, lovers even, over and over again had lead to this decade, to this timeline. The man lived every day with the knowledge that the passing time would only eventually bring him pain in place of friends and family.

And with the events that laid behind them now, that familiar, settled feeling of loss had nearly happened all too soon for him.

Kung Jin smiled briefly at the words, before he moved the fingers on his free hand to brush against the Wind God's jaw. "Come here," he started, as he pulled Fujin down to him and touched his lips against the God's- careful and soft as he brushed at the corner of them. He felt them twitch slightly with a soft chuckle, before the man turned his head enough to fully catch him.

Fujin hummed quietly behind his lips, sharing a cool breath between the two of them.

It was brief, and all too short.

Just a small homage to all the times they missed out on before.

Whether it was caused by Fujin's duties to the Jinsei, and to Raiden, or by his need to heal and sleep every chance he could. While the SF Unity hospital was top of the line in terms of medical assistance and performing medical-based miracles... it wasn't exactly a place of privacy. And they weren't ready to have someone walk in on them at the wrong time- even if it was just sharing a comforting embrace.

But he missed it- he missed this.

He felt Fujin pull back slightly, and caught a glimpse of the continuous fire that still played in the whites of his eyes. He watched as the small flames flickered back and forth, replacing the man's long-lost pupils with the reflection of candlelight. It was all still mesmerizing, and addicting to watch.

Fingers grabbed the God by the chin, before he pulled him back- sealing the space between them just enough to pull in a few more loose kisses.

"Jin..." Fujin barely managed to whisper.

He rarely let anyone call him simply by ' _Jin_ ', if only those within a close, social circle. But Fujin had picked up on calling him that long ago- and back then, he had been reluctant to admit how much he liked the way it sounded rolling off of the man's tongue.

It sounded even better now though.

"Hm?"

The man gave a short, quiet laugh at his barely-vocaled response. "You're supposed to be here resting," Fujin reminded, even as his fingers moved to tangle themselves in his black hair- slightly pulling a few locks free from their band.

"And I did earlier, and... I more than likely will later," Kung Jin spoke. "I've done nothing but sleep the entire time I've been here. Just... just let me have this."

For now, that seemed to be the end of the argument, as he felt Fujin pull him in close once more.


	3. Chapter 3

_"You've been quiet today."_

 _Kung Jin paused at the remark that came from behind him- not willing to admit that the words had startled him to some small degree. He had forgotten that the other man was out in the practice fields with him; he must've been so focused on the red-painted targets in front of him that he just... didn't notice anything else around him. The suffocating silence might've also played a part in convincing him that he was alone._

 _Fingers wavered against the arrow he still had drawn back in the bowstring, but the slight pain in his arms said that he must've been holding it for awhile now. Probably never had the intent to shoot it when he strung it up in the first place. Sighing, he lowered his bow and shot the arrow into the ground in front of him instead- allowing for easier retrieval._

 _"Long day," he started, already having talked himself out of going another round on the practice targets. He had done several sets already, and it was clear that his head just wasn't in it; there was no telling how many arrows he might've misfired, and lost by now. He'd have to do a count on the ones in his quiver tonight, and then spend all day tomorrow searching for the missing numbers._

 _Probably should've taken some time to practice with his Chakram as well, but... not today. Maybe later tonight though. He was lacking the proper training hours with it, and if he performed less than adequate during his next test, he wouldn't forgive himself for it._

 _"Is everything alright?"_

 _He could pick up on the hint of concern in the man's voice, and even without looking at him, he knew that his face and body language would express the same thing. And he hated the idea that he would make Fujin worry for him over nothing._

 _"I'm fine," Kung Jin assured, as he slipped the retrieved arrow back into his quiver, before he turned back towards the other man. Fujin was just a few feet away from him, allowing for plenty of space for his bow, but close enough for them to hold a steady conversation without needing to yell back and forth._

 _It was common that, whenever he was out in the fields training, and whenever Fujin was around, they always engaged in extensive conversation. Whether it was meaningless talk, or jokes, or politic discussions regarding some troubling matters that had been happening as of lately. Sometimes it felt like they could spend hours talking the wind out of each other. And Kung Jin wouldn't be caught off task considering that he was pretty skilled in multitasking; he could go through his rounds on the practice boards, and hold up a conversation regarding the ongoing civil war in Outworld without skipping a beat. Or missing a target._

 _Although, even now, he had to admit that this particular training session... had been oddly quiet._

 _And the realization of it was just now occurring to him._

 _"... Like I said, it's been a long day," Kung Jin repeated, taking easy note of the hint of concern on the Wind God's face. The man had a tendency to wear his emotions on his sleeve sometimes, which certainly wasn't a bad thing; it made him easy to read, easy to understand. Still, he felt a hefty sense of guilt settle in his chest in response to it. He hated knowing that he was the source for the frown lines on the man's face. His mind scrambled for something to say, for something to do to make up for the situation. "I... sorry for being such shit company."_

 _"You have nothing to apologize for," Fujin assured, pausing slightly before he carefully added. "You have been... rather quiet as of lately though. If something's bothering you, you know you can speak to me about it, right?"_

 _He considered the offer._

 _And then quickly rejected it._

 _He didn't even know what there would be to talk about._

 _"It's fine, I just..." the words lingered in the air for a bit, maybe making the false promise that he was going somewhere important with them. "I guess I didn't sleep that well last night, that's all."_

 _An excuse, and a very easy one to see through._

 _But if Fujin wanted to press him on the subject, he decided not to act on it- thankfully. Instead, the man gave a simple nod in acknowledgement. "Well, the least I can do then is walk with you back to the temple if you're through here. I have some business that I need to settle with Master Bo' Rai Cho, and if I don't get it done now, he'll be too drunk to discuss it later."_

 _There was some definite truth in that statement._

 _"... Yeah, sounds good."_

 _It had always been a simple walk back to the Shaolin temple from the training yards- one that usually lasted ten minutes at best. Although between the two of them, they'd usually try and make it last longer for the sake of conversation, for the sake of having good company around._

 _And yet, today, it felt like it dragged on for miles- and not in a good way._

 _Each step was made in painstaking silence, more so from his end rather than Fujin's. It was like he was stuck on autopilot- stuck following the same routine over and over again, even down to the same steps taken along the cobblestone path._

 _"Jin."_

 _He barely heard Fujin call his name, let alone even noticed that the man had stopped walking altogether._

 _It was only when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and felt it pull him back did he finally stop- only to feel the man turn him around to face him as well. The hand remained on his shoulder, heavy and lightly curled against him; not so much keeping him in a hold, but... seemingly more for reassurance than anything._

 _"Something is bothering you, you can't keep denying that," Fujin spoke; his voice once more laced with concern._

 _He never did have a great poker face._

 _Not around the Wind God at least- never really needed one._

 _Before Kung Jin even had a chance to put his thoughts together, to force together some kind of reasonable answer, he felt the hand on his shoulder move to his face; a callous palm cupping the curve of his jaw. It was a subtle gesture, one that Fujin had a tendency to do from time to time. Normally it was just a brushing motion, one made out of reassurance, or comfort, but... this one lingered; it held still against his skin, allowing him to take in the heat of the man's palm. He didn't question it, not at first anyways- Fujin was a physical kind of person, always had to make some kind of contact in order to carry on a conversation it would seem._

 _Kung Jin even found himself leaning into the touch- finding that it provided a suitable break from being on autopilot._

 _..._

 _The answer to Fujin's concerns struck him hard, in the answer of misplaced feelings, and unavoidable thoughts._

 _In the answer of feelings that he tried to ignore, tried to push down- push away. In the answer of reactions that flooded his chest with a sinking sort of feeling that stilled the breath in his throat. The same sinking feeling, ignited by the touch of Fujin's hand, that caused his heartbeat to spike in seconds, causing slight pain to settle under his ribs at how quickly it accelerated._

 _There was that familiar spark of adrenaline that felt as though it triggered his fight or flight instinct._

 _And given the situation, given the circumstances, he wanted to run._

 _It was always easier to just... run._

 _And yet, instead, he pulled out of the man's touch and tried to distill the reaction- tried to ignore it, and play it off._

 _"I'm fine," Kung Jin repeated once more, wondering how many more times he could say it before his luck run out. "I just..." It was like his tongue wanted to keep talking even though he didn't have any other words to say. He had put himself on the spot, with no idea of where he was going with them- and with no one to blame but himself. But he couldn't keep skirting the conversation- couldn't keep telling Fujin that he was fine. "I'm just stressing over some things, that's all."_

 _It was a lackluster answer, but if the man was disappointed in it, it didn't show._

 _If anything, Fujin probably appreciated those few words- because at least it was an answer. Not a solid one, but... an answer regardless._

 _"Like what?"_

 _Kung Jin cringed at the press of conversation; he guessed he had had some hope that the man would drop it. "It's nothing really, just..." Again, he struggled, stumbled for something. He liked to keep his cards close to his chest; he wasn't used to exposing anything about himself- it just wasn't in him to do it. Exposure lead to vulnerability. "My studies, I guess," he finally settled. "I'm at the top of my class right now, in basically everything we're doing- which is not easy to do. And I guess the pressure's just starting to get to me. Things have been going fine for now, but I just keep expecting myself to crash and burn eventually, and throw it all away."_

 _He might've had a horrible poker face in some regards, but he was still a pretty damn good liar. Not the best of traits to have, but under certain circumstances it had certainly proven its worth._

 _... And it wasn't like he was completely lying to Fujin either; this had actually been a concern of his for quite some time now. It dug under his skin just the same, and... there wasn't much he could do about it. It wasn't the reason for his behavior now, but technically he just shifted the truth around a little._

 _He released pressure from one story to bury the other. For now._

 _"Is that it?"_

 _The question sounded concerned, sounded innocent, and yet... it almost felt like an interrogation. But he knew it was just his own mind playing tricks on him, making the situation out to be worse than it actually was._

 _Kung Jin gave a hard sigh and fiddled with the etchings on his bow, desperate to have his hands distracted by something. "... I know some of my classmates have found out who my family is, so I know they're all comparing me to them." Minor pause as he rubbed at the back of his neck out of nervous habit. "It's stupid, but... I guess I'm just now realizing how difficult it's going to be to break away from that. I know that I'm never going to escape it, and that I should just get use to it- but sometimes it feels useless to carry on knowing that I'll probably never make a name for myself."_

 _He cringed at the amount of weight he had just spilled out- unsure of why he did so, and whether or not that was his intentions._

 _At this point, it felt like he was manipulating his own emotions to cover his tracks._

 _"That's because you're not them," Fujin replied, before he set both hands on his shoulders; heavy, but reassuring as they clasped lightly against him. "And believe it or not, no one is every going to be them- family or not."_

 _There was some truth in the man's words._

 _It wasn't like someone could recreate the same accomplishments that Liu Kang and Kung Lao had; their victories were set in stone, and of a time long since past. A time half-buried under lies and defeat._

 _"All you can do now is be you, and work just as hard as they did. You will have a name for yourself when the time comes."_

 _What a Shaolin thing to say..._

 _Although he had to admit that there was a sense of relief and comfort in the man's words._

 _"That means a lot coming from you," Kung Jin started, hoping he sounded half as genuine as he felt. "I know I've been a real drag to be with lately-"_

 _"Come now, there is nothing to apologize for," Fujin assured once more, briefly shaking him by the shoulders, before the man pulled him forward, and into a tight hug. Never was one to accept misplaced apologies- always believed in easy forgiveness for those who deserved it. "Please just... remember that I'm here if you need me. I do hold some responsibility for you being here, for being a part of the Shaolin. I don't want you to work yourself to death because of family matters, or because of some bitter banter someone might have."_

 _Fujin had caught him in the embrace before he could object to it- although the man had moved quick enough that he didn't really have time to anyways. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the gesture, he just... he was almost certain Fujin would be able to feel his heart thundering in his chest. Thrashing almost at this point._

 _Kung Jin didn't really get the chance to return the gesture before the Wind God pulled away. Before warm hands cupped themselves against his jaw instead, a little firmer than they were earlier- before lips brushed themselves against his forehead._

 _And he knew not to look deeper into it- knew not to see it as anything more than like a parent, or guardian kissing their child in comfort._

 _But it was still enough to make it feel like his legs would buckle out from underneath him. Still enough to catch the breath in his throat once more- enough to make him have to quickly restrain himself from reacting to it. But it was hard not to. Hard not to want to close his eyes and take it in; hard not to want to focus on the warmth of the lips on his skin, and admit that they felt nice._

 _So he buried his reaction, knowing that it wasn't fair to either of them._

 _Fujin was one of the few people he felt was actually on his side- even if just in a general sense. He didn't want to risk ruining the connection they already had. It was as simple as that._

 _It didn't make the pain any easier, or make it go away at all, but... he knew it was better than letting it blow up in his face._

 _"You're not getting sentimental on me, are you old man?" Kung Jin teased, although did little in terms of pushing the man away. He would let Fujin end the contact since he did start it. It would've been rude to turn him away anyways._

 _Fujin spared his remark with a brief laugh and pulled away, although the man kept his hands on his jaw for just a few seconds longer. Enough for his heart to skip a few beats in a row, before he felt those hands ran up through his black hair- immediately messing up the sculpted strands._

 _"Hey!"_

 _"You still have much to learn about keeping your guard up," Fujin spoke in jest- clearly amused at his own breaking of the somber setting. "If it helps at all, despite the accomplishments that Liu Kang and Kung Lao had between them... I know for a fact that neither of them knew how to use a bow. And Liu Kang never could master the art of throwing a projectile that wasn't fire- which is where your cousin got his advantage over him. So you're already two marks over Liu Kang, and that's something."_

 _Kung Jin laughed briefly at the last-minute words of reassurance. "Thanks, Fujin."_

* * *

Fingers wrung the loose water out of his hair as Kung Jin twisted the black strands around in his fist- keeping the hold loose enough to avoid straining his scalp. The sound of the water hitting the shower basin at his feet mimicked the rain coming down outside; abet a little softer, and with no hidden intent. He thought a shower might help settle his nerves some, and it did to an extent. The water helped to wash away the sweat from the night before, and the phantom hands that still clung onto his injuries.

It would hold him over for now, and that was worth something.

He had to admit that he was still in denial with how bad the storm affected him; he was getting used to it, but every now and again a crashing bellow of thunder would claw its way under his skin. Although, in his defense, this time was actually caused by a small meteor clipping the side of the building. Fujin had failed to warn him beforehand that sometimes during these storms of Raiden's... meteors were pulled out of the skies, and rained down on the ground below. Apparently the Wind Temple was usually lucky enough to avoid any catastrophic damages, but every now and then it would take a hit or two.

Things he wished he had been informed of sooner, but... he would cut himself some slack this time.

Tying his hair back up, Kung Jin tried to focus on the soft rumbling of the thunder outside- and not on the fact that he could hear Fujin talking in the next room. He tried to pretend that he couldn't hear the man, or that he wasn't eavesdropping on what was being said... but he was.

With nothing but a storm going on around them, it was hard not to listen in.

"Is there... still no change?" There was hesitation, almost fear in the man's voice- fear in what the answer he was seeking might be. Fear that it wouldn't be what he was expecting, what he was hoping for.

And fear in the knowledge that he knew the answer long before he asked the question.

"I'm sorry, Fujin, but so far nothing has changed."

The Wind God could be heard giving a heavy sigh in response. He must've been using one of the astral devices to communicate- just like the one General Blade carried around so she could keep in contact with Raiden at all times. It was the only thing Kung Jin could think of that wouldn't be interfered by the storm. "I expected nothing, and yet... I'm still disappointed somehow. Thank you for being there, Bo' Rai Cho. I know this isn't any easier for you either."

"There is still hope- after all, Raiden may not be getting better, but he hasn't gotten worse either," the man assured, or at least, tried his best to. Subtle comfort wasn't exactly the man's speciality. "This isn't easy for anyone, especially not for you, Fujin, but Earthrealm still needs you. The Jinsei needs you."

There was another quiet sound of reservation, and the quiet sound of what might've been Fujin leaning against a wall. "I know, I'll be fine, don't worry about me," he spoke; his voice calm, and more reassuring in those few words. "I just... wish this storm would break up soon. At least then I would know that Raiden's getting better, or that he's at least still fighting. But I know that it's barely started." A brief pocket of silence, a moment to recollect thoughts. "Is it bad down where you are? I held the storm off as best I could, but there was very little I could do by the time I started. Raiden always managed to be the superior one when it came to enacting, and supporting storms."

"With the amount of energy he exerted, and then absorbed in the Jinsei, the storm itself is untouchable- even by you," Bo' Rai Cho seemed to remind. "As for things here, it is nothing more than the usual. A bit of rain, a bit of hail... a few meteors here or there. Nothing too serious- nothing that the temple has not seen, or cannot handle. The fact that the storm is not concentrated over the Jinsei alone says a lot about Raiden's willpower right now; he's spreading the storm out to reduce clutter, which is very typical of him to do." A brief pause for a soft chuckle. "What about you there? I'm certain it's a little more heinous."

"It is the same," Fujin answered. "Have you managed to get into contact with General Blade? Is there an update available on the others?"

"Not as of now. I fear this storm is making it problematic for the Special Forces to move around- not to mention, General Blade has a lot on her plate right now," the Shaolin Master continued. "You have enough to worry about, brother Fujin. Please, take some time and allow yourself to breathe, alright? Get a drink or two in you, and relax."

Fujin offered a half-hearted laugh at the remark. "We have enough issues as it is, Bo' Rai Cho- and we all remember the last time I drank."

Bo' Rai Cho's laugh was infectious and deep- bellowing loudly even from the other end of the line. "Yes, perhaps so- but you must admit, it was fun while it had lasted. And General Blade was gracious enough to forgive the damages done."

"Perhaps so, but it is a terrifying thought to be in her debt still," Fujin reminded. "Elder Gods above know when she might choose to call in that hefty favor."

Again, another bellowing laugh.

"Tell me, brother, how is the young one doing?"

Kung Jin felt himself partly cringe at the question, meanwhile Fujin seemed to enjoy it with a laugh instead.

"Did he not break your nose the last time you called him that?"

"That is... irrelevant."

He had been in the middle of an extra training session with Master Bo' Rai Cho when the man decided to coin that term- and he swore the man used it to mock him throughout their battle. It was a harmless tag at first, but then it seemed to turn into a taunt, something to get on his nerves and trick him into making a mistake. And it almost had. He had misjudged Bo' Rai Cho's actions and missed a judgmental swing- and ended up landing his weight heavy on his left leg, which he wasn't accustomed to. Nearly lost his balance in doing so.

Bo' Rai Cho was getting ready to strike as well, and had the man done so, it would've cost him the battle- that much Kung Jin knew.

So, he twisted slightly on his left foot, rotated his body opposite of normal, and shifted his weight enough to bring his right leg over. And successfully pulled off a reverse defensive kick, hitting the Shaolin Master hard in the face.

There was a lot of blood, a lot of praise for quick thinking, and then laughter and booze to numb the pain.

And since then, Master Bo' Rai Cho refrained from referring to him as 'young one' outside of battle.

"Kung Jin's fine. The storm is getting to him, but... he's been calm," Fujin spoke in answer. "I'm still worried about him though- there's no telling what's going on inside of his head. He dealt with things that he wasn't prepared for, that we didn't prepare him for. From the Osh-Tekk, to the ordeal with Shinnok, to..." his voice trailed, but Kung Jin knew what the man was going to say, what he was trying to say.

"We couldn't have anticipated anything. We're lucky everyone survived- even by the thin string that they did, myself included," Bo' Rai Cho started. "He'll be fine. He's not a child, Fujin; he's a Shaolin, and he comes from a good bloodline. A bloodline that is still strong and surviving."

There was a brief pocket of silence.

Soon punctured by a quiet sigh from the Wind God.

"You're right. I'm letting my own insecurities blind me, and I'm not giving him the credit he deserves."

"Get some rest, Fujin," Bo' Rai Cho urged once more. "The long days are only starting, and you're already coming apart at the seams."

"Right... Just let me know if anything changes, alright?" Fujin spoke.

"Of course."

Kung Jin listened as the conversation ended, and managed to hear the man whisper a few inaudible words to himself. And he knew he couldn't just stay in here until the Wind God pulled himself back together.

Fujin would've noticed the water no longer running by now, and would either assume that he was having another panic attack... or that he was eavesdropping. And it wasn't like he could really defend himself on that front since he was.

Sighing, he tried to clear his own head first, knowing it would be no good if they were both in the low end of functionality, before he readjusted the looser fitted clothing on his tall frame and stepped out. And almost immediately he felt the chilling air of the hallway rush him, soaking up the faint heat that still radiated off of his skin. He felt his body lock up slightly at the conflicting contrast- felt the slight tension of his jaw setting in to keep his teeth from chattering.

Fujin's pent up energy was getting the best of him, causing him to cast a cold spell across the Wind Temple.

The man had nearly exhausted his energy with his attempt to stop the storm, but this was... this was a different kind of energy. It hung heavy in the air, felt cold on the skin, and shifted uncomfortably in his chest.

Kung Jin could see where the man was leaning back against the opposite wall, eyes closed and looking as though he was meditating. But after hearing the unknowingly open conversation that had revealed his concerns, and insecurities, he could see why the man would be doing so. And it pained him to a degree knowing that there wasn't much he could do in terms of making the situation any easier for Fujin.

Then again, he supposed they were both stuck in that same boat.

"You alright?" Kung Jin questioned, watching as the Wind God quickly snapped out of his trance and hastily straightened himself back up. It was clear the man was trying to hide any sort of indicator that something was wrong- and it made him feel a little guilty still that he knew anyways. "You're not looking... so great."

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me," Fujin assured; the air and temperature leveling out a bit as he tried to put some control over his energy. "Are you feeling any better? Is there anything I can get you?"

And right back into being a gracious host.

"I'm good," he replied, noting that the simple answer seemed to give the man some comfort. Not enough to erase the heavy lines on his face, or take out the settling dim of his eyes, but... any amount, no matter how small, was still an improvement. He tugged on the open collar of his shirt, not liking the way it settled so low on his neck, but knowing that it was better than touching the sensitive skin. "... So what now?"

Fujin seemed to study the question, running it over in his head- and although there was no context behind it, he still seemed lost for an answer. A quiet sigh eventually escaped him before he closed his eyes once more. "I wish I had the answer you seek, but... it evades even me."

It was the same question Kung Jin had had before, the same one that Fujin had gently shot down in turn to answer.

It was the same question that everyone had, that everyone shared, and yet... no one knew the answer to it. Or perhaps, in truth, no one wanted to know; no one wanted to carry that burden. It was a scary answer to seek out; one that had decades to cultivate, decades to simmer and play out in everyone's head. But too many scenarios, too many unknowns played into it.

The truth was... no one had an answer; no one could predict, or theorize what might happen. Even now, weeks later, they still didn't have an answer- even as it laid unconscious in a bed, locked away from the public, locked away behind Special Forces doors.

Everyone shared the same want, the same need to look on the brighter side of things, but in reality... the sun rarely shined on those options.

They were always handed the short end of the stick.

Hence why this was such a delicate situation- especially in regards to Raiden.

In regards to the Revenant.

Both the Thunder God, and the Revenant had been horribly torn out from battle, and yet still carried the fresh remains of dark energy in their blood. They still carried the same dark energy that had threatened to consume Earthrealm in its entirety- and eventually all of the realms in the coming days. And while there was no hive mind, no control over them any longer... the darkness was still there.

For the Revenant, it was two decades lost; family and friends moved on, leaving them behind. Two decades of fire and pain, locked away in the Netherrealm, now finally over- to the potential dismay of their broken, shattered minds.

The ordeal was over for everyone, sure... but the real battle was just now starting for them.

And still, they had no answers.

Defeated, Kung Jin walked the short distance across the hallway to Fujin- easily taking note of the man's heavier features now, of the slight loss of his energetic mind and body. He could count on one hand the amount of times he had seen the man in such a state, and still have fingers left over. It wasn't a sight he was accustomed to, and for that he was thankful.

He touched his fingers against the man's jaw, gently testing his reaction, and when the God didn't pull away, he moved to cup his face in both hands. It didn't take much from there before Fujin leaned into him, heavy in his hands.

It didn't take much for Kung Jin to brush his lips against the man's forehead, placing a subtle kiss before he felt the God sink down into his shoulder.

He had greatly appreciated Fujin's open concerns, and his attempts to soothe any nerves that he could. It was... refreshing; it was far more personal, far more intimate than the actions of the doctors or nurses from the hospital- not to rain on them. They were professional, but that was about it.

... This wasn't an one-sided situation though.

Just as Bo' Rai Cho had spoken before, it was difficult for everyone right now, and the Wind God was already coming apart at the seams. Unknowing, unwillingly.

"It'll be okay," Kung Jin whispered, as fingers moved to tangle in his white braid. He felt Fujin's hands, heavy as they were, move around him- felt them curl tight against his back, loosely holding onto him. Loosely clinging to him. And he understood the motions well- understood the motive, and pain behind them.

"How can I face him again knowing that I did nothing to help him when he needed me?"

He wasn't certain of who Fujin was referring to in his question- whether he was speaking of Raiden, or... of Kung Lao. He didn't want to know the answer though, didn't need to- not now at least. There would be time for answers and clarification later. For now, the less he knew, the better.

For now, he held onto him, listening to the man's deep breathing, and feeling the air turn cold around them once more.


	4. Flashback

**A/N: SUPER long hiatus, my apologies- but I came back with this monster of a chapter. 10K word count and I didn't even get out what I wanted to get out, but I had to stop myself because** ** _this_** **was enough for now. (Maybe I'll have better luck with the next chapter). Anyways, I got this idea from the MKX comics, not that I read them myself, but sometimes I'll go on the wiki and look at the pages- just to see what's going on.**

 **Also this entire chapter is to be read as a flashback, but I thought it would've been super annoying to have the whole thing italicized, so just dropping the heads up here.**

* * *

His footsteps were near silent as Kung Jin made his way through the empty temple courtyards and gardens.

It was a few hours after curfew, but the blanket of night acted like a shield against the low-flames of the torches lined along the stone pathways underfoot. It acted like a shield against the working night guards who would no doubt have a fit if they caught him wandering out in the temple yards at such a late hour. Of course, in order to throw a fit they'd have to spot him first, and then catch him- and considering that he had already memorized their patterns and nightly routines, he didn't see that happening.

It didn't hurt to stay smart about it though, and keep a watchful eye out regardless.

And seeing as he was currently reporting to the Shaolin Master himself, it wasn't like the guards could drag him over there to be reprimanded about curfew.

Master Bo' Rai Cho was expecting him anyways- despite the late hour.

The quiet crunching of the grass underneath Kung Jin's feet just reminded him of how all he wanted to do was get back to his room, wash up, and pass out for the rest of the night- leaving it all behind him to deal with in the morning.

But the consistent throbbing of his ribs was an equal reminder that sleep would not be easy for him tonight.

They weren't broken, that much he was fairly confident on, but two or three of them sure as hell had to have been bruised by now. They were towards the upper ribs too, which made moving his shoulders and torso difficult to do without throbbing agony. Worst case scenario, they were either cracked, or fractured, but thankfully not splintered and broken instead.

The stiffness they created in his chest, and the persistent ache in his torso made jumping over the courtyard walls a real pain in the ass- especially with the sheer number of walls the temple had around it. Kung Jin swore he ran into more walls on the way in rather than on the way out. It also didn't help that he had slipped on that last jump and didn't stick the landing as well as he should've- as well as he could've had his legs not felt like they were going to break underneath him with the clumsy impact.

He would've gone face-first into the ground had he not caught himself at the last minute.

(As if he didn't already have enough bruises on his face either).

(Although the face-to-ground impact might've been enough to break his nose back in to place).

Kung Jin looked up as the old drunk's dormitory came into sight, and took quick note of the single lit candle in the back window; faint and warmly glowing against the dark. It was the usual sign that the man was still up and waiting on his arrival. Master Bo' Rai Cho always waited for his return- at least just long enough to gather whatever item he had asked for, and pay his dues before sending Kung Jin on his way.

Which worked well enough for him.

Especially considering that right now, whatever sealed package the man had asked him to seek out earlier that day, was still in his jacket; heavy and thumping against his ribs with every calculated step.

Kung Jin couldn't wait to get rid of the damn thing.

It had taken too long to secure, and been too much of a hassle for him to deal with.

Although he was willing to admit that his lack of current practice with his ' _getting in, and getting out_ ' skills might've always played a hand in it. Not too big of a hand though, considering he was still able to secure the requested item.

Approaching the isolated house, Kung Jin went his usual way of entrance through the back window- blowing out the candle as he pulled himself through the open sill. His ribs protested every movement and motion, causing him to clench his jaw to keep from making any noise. There was a sense of painful success as he landed soundlessly inside, although he had to take a moment to catch his breath.

Fingers moved to pull down on his clothed face mask, hoping to make it a little easier to breathe.

His nose, still freshly broken, was filled with blood and making it more than difficult to breathe through- forcing him to breath through his mouth for the time being, which only brought stinging pain to his busted lip.

He carefully brushed the back of his hand across his lips and chin, wiping off the blood that had already crystalized and dried against his skin.

Taking a few, slow calming breaths to ease the tightness in his chest, Kung Jin carefully made his way out of the empty back room and stepped out into the connecting, dimly-lit corridor. Even from the back of the small house, he still caught a glimpse of the Shaolin Master in the front welcoming room- no doubt drinking to pass the time, and night away. No surprise there.

 _Just make this quick and easy._

He slowly made his way down the short corridor with fingers already pulling the artifact from where he had hidden it inside of his jacket. It wasn't that big to begin with, barely the size of his palm, but it felt like a weight, like a rock, in his hand. He didn't know what it was, and didn't know if it was even worth its weight in the amount of trouble he went through for it.

All he cared about right now was dropping this thing off, getting back to his room, and sleeping the night and pain off.

His whole mind was focused on those three steps- dulling his senses, and ignoring the few spoken words that weren't coming from the Shaolin Master himself.

"With all due respect, Master Bo' Rai Cho, tell your informant next time to get his shit together," Kung Jin started as he stepped into the opened welcoming room. He already had the artifact out by that time, and tossed it towards the man as soon as their eyes linked- barely even noticing the hint of surprise on the man's face. He figured the Shaolin would've gotten used to his fast turn over rate with these sorts of runs.

The large room was filled with lit candles all over the place, and even as dim as they were, they still managed to irritate him.

The flat of the palm that had broken his nose in the first place had managed to plant a persistent throbbing in the front of his skull- making any sort of light, or noise near unbearable to stand. Even walking too quickly made the edges of his vision blur just slightly enough in warning.

It was about that time that he noticed that Master Bo' Rai Cho wasn't alone.

"Jin, what are you-" Fujin started, seated adjacent to Bo' Rai Cho in the center of the room- a small, square cherry-wood table between them lined with glasses and half-empty wine bottles.

It really wasn't a question as to why the Wind God's words died halfway out from his lips.

And Kung Jin wasn't certain if Fujin was going to ask what he was talking about in direct to Master Bo' Rai Cho, or if the God was going to ask what Kung Jin himself was doing _here_ of all places so late at night- especially out past curfew.

One typically didn't want to report to, let alone be seen by, the Shaolin Master past curfew; it only guaranteed a full morning on the running course, which was never fun.

Part of him figured he should've guessed, maybe even known, that there was a chance that Fujin would be here. The Wind God often times visited Master Bo' Rai Cho when all his other duties were through, and the two could have some quiet time to drink and speak freely with one another.

(If he hadn't been so focused on himself, Kung Jin probably would've picked up on the clues).

(But he didn't).

Kung Jin felt himself stiffen slightly at the sight and recognition from the God.

"I take it you ran into some trouble," Bo' Rai Cho spoke, ignoring and interrupting Fujin for the time being, as he held the caught artifact in both hands- examining it.

"Yeah, you could say that," Kung Jin replied, as he forced his attention back to the Shaolin Master. "Nothing serious, just a couple of guards that I wasn't expecting to be out there- that I wasn't aware I needed to look out for. Doesn't matter now though. No one died, and you got whatever it was that you asked for." He risked his life for the damn thing and didn't know, didn't care for what it was; it was always easier for him to operate in this line of work with the classic 'the less he knew, the better' sort of method.

"I'll be sure to pass your complaints on to my informant."

Kung Jin frowned slightly at the words, and watched as Master Bo' Rai Cho got to his feet and carried the artifact off with him as he briefly left the room. The man was probably putting it somewhere for safe keeping until he could get it properly placed wherever it was needed- whatever the hell it was.

Thankfully, the man wasn't gone for too long- only a few seconds at best.

"What exactly is going on here?" Fujin pressed; the question directed towards Bo' Rao Cho, although Kung Jin could feel the occasional glance shot towards him instead. And the feel of the man's eyes on him sent a shiver through him. After the night he had already had, this wasn't exactly how he wanted it to end.

"Nothing more than the usual," Bo' Rai Cho assured, returning after his brief absence- sans artifact, but carrying a new, unopened bottle of wine. "No need to worry, brother, I just needed a few more things off of my list is all. I know how you prefer not to get involved in this... rather ugly side of business, so I will spare you the details of it."

The slight crunch of the God's expression implied that he wasn't exactly thrilled at such details being held from him- or such actions going on behind his back. "I thought you gave up on that after the Lin Kuei Cybernetic Initiative business," Fujin continued, glancing once more towards Kung Jin, before he moved back to Bo' Rai Cho. "And why send Kung Jin of all people? Don't tell me you're using the Academy now as some sort of front to your collection business."

The drunken master gave a hearty laugh as he grabbed an empty glass from the table, and began filling it with wine- the cork not all that surprisingly missing now. "Don't be so dramatic brother, I would never soil the Academy's name, nor my students like that. Kung Jin has been my runner even before he joined the Academy- and this is only the first of times I've asked since. I made sure beforehand that he was still comfortable with doing so, and he agreed. It was nothing more than a trade of business between us."

The exposure of his past dealings with the Shaolin Master felt like it hit harder than Kung Jin thought it would.

It wasn't like he was ashamed of his past work, after all it had basically kept him alive up until this point. He just- it was something that he was trying to put behind him now; something he wasn't trying to focus on anymore now that he had studies and practices to attend to. (Elder Gods knew he had heard enough slander of being called a 'thief' to last him a lifetime).

Master Bo' Rai Cho had asked him a favor, and he had complied. That was it.

And yet, the sudden pull of focus back onto him made him want to disappear at that moment.

"Are we through here?" Kung Jin spoke- quicker, and more rushed than he was willing to admit to. "Can I go?"

"You don't want to stay for a drink? It might help with the-" Master Bo' Rai Cho only gestured to his face to finish his sentence- implying enough to get the jest of his remark.

"I'm fine, I'm just gonna sleep it off," he replied.

Bo' Rai Cho barely gave him a nod of approval before Kung Jin was already heading out- hating that he had to ignore the Wind God for the time being. But this had been Master Bo' Rai Cho's business to begin with, so he could do all of the explaining of it to Fujin, who would no doubt have plenty of questions to ask.

It was just an overall bad situation to be in.

One that he didn't want to stick around for.

Making his way back across the temple courtyards, Kung Jin avoided any additional walls and pushed through the shrubbery instead- eventually making his way to the dormitory wing. True to his nature, he had yet to see a single person on the night watch as he quietly made his way through the inner corridors of the temple. The guards were all on the other side of the wing anyways, giving him plenty of time to make it to his room. He tried to remain silent out of respect to his classmates, while also trying to move as quickly as he could- which would've been easier to do without the bruised ribs.

Coming up to his room, he quietly pushed the door open and slipped inside- quick to close it behind him.

Slipping his bow off, Kung Jin set it next to the door and found himself having to fight off the urge to immediately go to bed instead. The urge was there, and every inch of him wanted to be lying down, no longer having to support his own body- but he knew better. There was a checklist of things he needed to go through first before he could put this night to rest.

He unclipped his belt, and reluctantly worked himself out of his leather chest piece- unable to avoid the strain it put on his ribs. Unable to avoid the slight light-headed feeling that washed over him when he finally got the flexible armor off, and tossed aside. His left arm was going to have to be useless for a few days if he wanted his ribs to have a better chance at a quick heal.

Pulling down on his hood, Kung Jin moved towards the back of his room where the washing basin was; he tried to convince himself that a quick clean was all he needed. He had a medical kit somewhere around that he could get into if he wanted to- but he wasn't in the mood to deal with it. If he could just get the blood cleaned up, and stopped for the time being, that was all he cared about.

He didn't necessarily want to look at himself in the hanging mirror above the basin, but it was near impossible not to.

Fingers lightly touched at his bottom lip, feeling the hefty split that had dried up over it; it was wider than he thought it was- cutting from the inside of his mouth and curving over his lip completely. Splitting it two-fold. He didn't think he had gotten hit that hard, but it was no wonder now why it had been bleeding so badly. It was already pretty swollen too, so there was no doubt that it would be hideous tomorrow.

Kung Jin grabbed the small hand towel that had been folded next to the basin and partly soaked it in the water, before he moved it to his lip. He tried to ignore the shaking of his hands as he carefully tried to clean the wound without irritating it. It was near easy to feel the dried blood peeling off from where it had spilt down his chin once more- tugging slightly at his skin as it rolled off as bloodied crystals.

Moving the rag to clean the blood from his broken nose, he winced every time he brushed against the darkening skin. It was going to hurt even worse tomorrow, and it was going to be hell tonight trying to sleep through blood-crusted nostrils. Drawing in a sharp breath through clenched teeth, he held it as he covered his nose with the damp rag- before he used his other hand to break it back into place.

The resulting crunch was near satisfying- had it not also flooded a nauseating amount of pain through him.

He swore he nearly blacked out as one hand fumbled to find support on the small table underneath the basin. Fingers were near white-knuckled as he held on, waiting for the nausea and wavering sense of consciousness to pass.

(Easier now than later he told himself).

Taking in a few, shaky-but-controlled breaths, testing his sense of control, Kung Jin willed himself to finish cleaning up- trying to ignore the fresh surplus of blood running down his chin and dripping into the water below.

Holding the rag underneath his nose for the time being, he took a look at his eye next, noting that it was already showing the signs of a righteous shiner. There was an obvious black ring where he had taken a nice elbow to the face. A few blood vessels had been broken underneath the skin, soon to fill the space with a mix of blue, red, and purple.

If he was lucky, there wouldn't be much swelling, but he doubted it.

Other bruises were already setting in against his jaw as well- dark, black spots marking a different fist.

Master Bo' Rai Cho was _really_ going to owe him for this one.

He might've gone in with his guard lower than it should've been, but still- bad information was a _very_ thin line to work off of.

And his ribs were still fucking throbbing too.

It was too late to visit the healer, and at this point, even if they were still awake, he didn't feel like walking all the way out there. He would be fine until tomorrow; he doubted there was much that could be done for him anyways. Nothing more than waiting for everything to naturally heal on its own.

All he wanted to do was get everything cleaned, and sleep this whole thing off.

Cleaning off the rest of the blood, Kung Jin made sure that it had stopped for the time being, before he tossed the towel aside and walked back into his room. It wasn't like this would be the first time he had woken up to blood stains on his pillow anyways. The heavy throbbing from breaking his nose back into place had thankfully dulled for the time being- quick to flood in and then out, although the pain would no doubt be back again by early morning. Which meant that it was just something that he could push off and deal with in the future.

He heard the sound of his door opening first, and barely convinced himself to look to it- hoping to convince himself that maybe the wind had just pushed it open.

(He wasn't too far off from the truth).

"Jin, are you alright?" Fujin spoke, already inside his room and closing the door behind him now. "You left so quickly, I didn't get a chance to ask you before."

Kung Jin blamed his slowed response to the man on just coming off of an adrenaline rush and feeling the pain really starting to seep in now. The sudden appearance of the Wind God didn't exactly help either- nor did the realization of the late hour, or where this conversation had decided to happen. He wasn't exactly expecting the man to be here- let alone get here so quickly.

"I uh... yeah- yeah, I'm fine," Kung Jin tried to assure, although he had to admit himself that he didn't sound all that convincing. "It's just, you know, cosmetic injuries, nothing more."

The concerned look the God wore on his face said he wasn't at all convinced either.

"Does it hurt?"

Yeah- _yeah_ , it sure fucking did.

"It's fine- nothing I can't sleep off," he answered instead. "Believe me, this isn't the first time I've gotten my face beaten in."

Okay, so maybe he could've been a little more... reassuring, but that kind of was the truth in the matter.

(The slight twitch on the corners of Fujin's lips convinced him to try a little harder though).

"It's not a big deal," Kung Jin insisted once more, brushing aside a few loose strands of hair from his eyes. He was playing defensive now, putting up a minor guard to keep things from getting out of hand. He wanted to be reassuring, to give some amount of comfort, without throwing himself under the bus. "I've cracked my face open with my own staff before, this really isn't any different-"

He stopped as he watched Fujin suddenly step towards him, as he felt hands grab at his arms first, and then his shoulders, before they carefully moved to his jaw. He wasn't necessarily in the mood to be touched, especially since an uneasy sense of numbness had settled over him- and since he was still reeling from the last person who had put their hands on his face. But... he couldn't convince himself to push the God away; he didn't really want to anyways.

It didn't help that the sudden closeness of the man was enough to leave him without anything to say.

"This is different," Fujin spoke, briefly hesitating before he slowly continued. "... Someone else did this."

And it was all too easy to hear the worry in the God's voice when he spoke- and to see it reflected all too easily on his face as well.

Kung Jin waited, seeing if the man had anything else to say or do, but nothing else came from it. Instead, he stood there, waiting, and watching as the Wind God seemed focused solely on him. And even with pupil-less eyes, he could still feel them moving from one injury to the next, and to the next. He could feel the subtle change in pressure around him, caught the slight whip of Fujin's braid behind him; a subtle hint that the God's energy was agitated.

(As close as they were, he caught the hint of sweetness from the wine on the man's breath).

He felt the slight brush of fingers against his cheek, just barely skirting over the growing bruise there, before Fujin gently swept a hand across his brow- tucking aside any remaining loose locks.

"Jin," the God whispered, nearly sighed, as those white eyes closed on their own. "Jin, Jin, Jin."

He wanted to question what the man was talking about, but stopped as he felt Fujin brush his lips against his forehead once more- mimicking the same gesture from before. Only this one seemed to linger just a few seconds too long, sharing a sense of warmth against his skin. Kung Jin found himself holding his breath as he waited- a little too high-strung right now to melt into the gesture at the moment; not like he had before.

"... At least let me take care of you."

The Wind God's lips moved to just above his left eye, kissing just above the now-swelling skin- brushing along the black ring that was slowing forming over it. A righteous swing from his blindspot that had nearly blinded, and knocked him out upon impact; Kung Jin was almost convinced that the eye socket itself might've been bruised with how badly it was still throbbing.

Fujin moved down to touch at the bridge of his nose next, careful as he barely touched the badly swollen skin.

Kung Jin had to bite back the urge to flinch at the sensitivity of the break, and re-break- a full frontal slam of someone's palm against his face.

His mind was near racing at the subtle touches- desperately trying not to draw anything more from them, but unable to see them as anything else but that just the same. There were no other reasons for them; the two of them hadn't exactly been in this kind of situation before, but still- the God had never physically kissed him like this. He had never let such small gestures linger for as long as this.

The subtle throbbing from his lip seemed to draw his focus as Kung Jin felt Fujin linger where he was against the bridge of his nose; the man's palms were pressed lightly against his cheeks now, gently cradling his head in his cool hands. He swore he could feel the man's skin almost getting colder with each passing moment- not that he was complaining. It felt good against his skin- still heated and sweaty from the earlier ordeal.

Maybe it was the adrenaline crash, the late hour, the lingering exhaustion, and pain- maybe a cocktail of all of them pushed together.

It just seemed like an out-of-body experience as King Jin's hands moved on their own, as they brushed against Fujin's jaw, before he pulled the God down to his lips. A rushed chill ran through him at the way Fujin's lips felt against his own, ignoring the way they brushed across the raw tissue of his lower lip. He swore he could hear the hollowed-panic of his heart beating against wounded ribs; swore he could feel the nervous panic that gripped tight across his body as he held onto the other man- taking the moment for all that it was worth.

Fujin didn't resist.

And only seemed to pull Kung Jin in closer against him just the same.

It was slow and subtle, never going much further than touch- nothing more than the close share of warmth.

Kung Jin felt the God begin to pull away, and once more felt his own hands move all too quickly to grab at the man's jaw in response. "Don't stop," he whispered; and he swore his voice sounded near desperate as he pulled Fujin back in, brushing another kiss against him. " _Please_ -"

It didn't take much for the man to give in, and oblige him- pulling him back in just the same.

Fujin's lips were firmer this time, providing more than just warmth- providing pressure, and weight behind him as hands carefully slid across his jaw and cheeks. He felt fingers brush and push themselves through his black hair, tangling the loose strands in his grasp as Fujin lightly curled his hands into the weight of it all; Kung Jin didn't really notice that his hair was beginning to fall loose at that point- the weight of it hitting his shoulders in long falling strands.

He felt the embrace turn from touch to tongue and teeth, to hands and heat as he held on tight to the man's jaw. It had been a long- _long_ \- time since he had last kissed someone like this, since he had last felt the wet heat of someone else's tongue in his mouth- the tightening curl of someone else's fingers tangling in his hair. He could taste the lingering sweetness of the wine now despite never having a glass of it himself; and despite his distaste of alcohol, he drank it in.

There were subtle breaths dragged between barely parted lips- just enough of a gasp to quell lungs and thundering hearts.

(He didn't even feel his lip break back open between them- never even noticed that the sweetness of the wine was soon replaced with the bitter hint of copper on his tongue).

"Let me speak," Fujin barely managed to whisper against him, seemingly fighting himself to get the words out.

Kung Jin didn't want him to- he didn't want to listen to what might come out of the Wind God next.

Didn't want to break the moment- the illusion maybe.

"Come on, your lip is bleeding."

He could see the slight spot of blood on Fujin's lip when he pulled away, and moved fingertips to touch at his own- wincing slightly as he touched at the raw injury. There was already another small trickle of blood rolling down his chin again, once more causing him to wipe it aside.

"I'm sorry, I should've been more careful."

"It's fine, I shouldn't-" Kung Jin started, only to stop himself from finishing the sentence- for now anyways. He refused to meet them, but he could still feel the God's eyes on him- watching, waiting, perhaps anticipating where his words were going to go when they were done. His hands pulled away from Fujin's jaw, slightly brushing down against the man's shoulders, before he stepped back. "- I shouldn't have done that with my lip like this. I have a kit around here somewhere; it'll be a quick fix-"

He didn't get the chance to look for that stupid medical kit, before he felt Fujin pull him back towards him.

Before he felt the subtle brush of lips against his once more, only this time they brushed against the unmarked corner of his lips- away and safe from the split injury which was now lightly throbbing. The touch lingered warm against him; and once more, it lingered longer than it should've, longer than it needed. There were a few seconds of it, before the man pressed firmer against him- just enough to seal one more kiss between them.

He felt the slightest touch of the God's thumb brushing against his chin- wiping aside the blood that continued to spill.

"Get some rest tonight."

Quiet, and concerned, but enough to resist any arguing- not that he would've.

...

Kung Jin considered asking the man to stay with him, at least just for the night, but the suggestion came and went as soon as it had crossed his mind. It wouldn't be smart for either of them to do so- and it wasn't like he would be in the mood for company once _this_ adrenaline sequence had passed. "Are you... uh, are you alright?" he whispered, unsure if that was even the right thing to ask. Part of him almost wanted to ask if the man even knew what he was doing at the moment- if he was even aware of what had just happened between them.

His hands, still cool and careful against his jaw, still cupped against his face, were holding onto him- holding Kung Jin to him.

"I'm fine, just a little... off-guarded over the whole thing," Fujin answered, barely pulling away from him enough to break the subtle contact between their lips. "Thinking about how I might _murder_ Master Bo' Rai Cho."

Kung Jin wasn't certain if it was the God's intention or not, but he managed a quiet chuckle at the remark regardless. "Yeah, well, if you're going to kill him, can you at least wait until after he pays me for this?" he replied, hearing Fujin chuckle in return this time- equally as quiet.

"I will try, but I cannot make promises," the man replied, looking him over once more. White eyes seemed to scope him out once again, this time while the flats of his thumbs brushed against his curved cheekbones. There seemed to be more to him- something more the God wanted to say, but ended up dropping. Instead, Fujin gently pulled his head back down, and brushed his lips to his forehead in a final gesture. "Sleep well."

He felt the God slowly drop all forms of contact between them- and almost immediately missed the cool warmth of the man's hands on him. He missed the warm closeness between them as the man stepped back, before looking him over once more. It seemed only when the God seemed satisfied that he could handle things from here, the man turned and left- sliding in and out the door without so much as causing it to creak.

Leaving him there to wonder just what exactly had happened.

(Leaving him there to convince himself that it was better this way- that _they_ were better off this way.).

Kung Jin sighed and decided to leave his lip the way it was as he finally forced himself to bed; he had hopes to put the whole night behind him- fight, kiss, and all. The only difficult from here though was that there was no way in hell he was going to get out of this clothing tonight. Not without running the risk of making himself sick, or pass out anyways. At this point, he could barely move without having to force himself to choke something back.

He barely paused long enough to get out of his boots before he collapsed into bed- almost immediately regretting the motion as it strung tight across his ribs.

Whatever, as long as it got the pain over with now.

It took a few minutes for everything to settle, for his bones, and body to quit aching. The idea of lying down had been like a dream before, but now that he was here, actually doing it, it wasn't as painless as he had hoped it to be. Things still throbbed, although duller this time around as the damages were finally taking hold- and there was no doubt that they would look even worse tomorrow.

He laid there, staring at the wall in front of him, still able to feel the chill from the Wind God's energy in the room.

* * *

Kung Jin woke to the sound of faint knocking at his door.

He woke to the more apparent ache in his ribs that nearly had him convinced that they were broken rather than bruised. He woke to a consistent throbbing in his skull, which made even the tiniest sliver of light in his room completely unbearable to manage. And with the repeating knocking at his door, it made his seemingly impatient guest all the more intolerable to deal with- even from his bed.

Lifting himself up, Kung Jin moved just enough to shift the weight off of his right shoulder, which had started to go numb underneath him, before he dropped back down. He was already well aware of the obvious damp spot on his pillow- which he originally figured to be drool, but ended up being blood instead. Just a few minor spots, nothing too serious- nothing that could convince him out of bed at least.

The only thing it could, and did do, was bring attention to the dried mess of blood on his cheek, lip, and chin again.

He barely brushed the crystallized mess off of his skin once more, before he settled back down- hoping that he could still fall back to sleep with relative ease. It was already past early morning now, which meant that he had missed every class so far, not that it would matter all that much to him; he could risk losing out on a lecture or two. Missing out on practice was going to be a little more serious, but... he had gotten enough last night to hold him over.

Besides, it wasn't like Master Bo' Rai Cho was going to force him to go to them anyways. The man was somewhat in his debt now, and it wasn't like the Shaolin Master was going to risk bringing attention to his sudden, overnight injuries. He would eventually have to be seen with them, but it wasn't like he couldn't bullshit his way out of the situation- Elder Gods know he had done it plenty of times before.

And it wasn't like his classmates didn't already know that he liked to sneak off temple grounds every now and again.

Fingers reached back and grabbed the other half of his pillow before he folded it over his head- trying to cut out the faint slivers of sunlight that slipped through the cracks of his window blinds. Not to mention, the repetitive knocking.

Not that it seemed to matter in the end, because he heard the sound of his door opening anyways; a rather frowned upon offense in the domestic wing of the temple. It was rude to infringe upon someone else's personal, private space without acknowledgement or consent; it disrupted their focus and trust. Not to mention, he thought it would've been plenty obvious by now that he didn't want company.

"You're still asleep?"

Kung Jin tried to pretend that he didn't hear it.

He had to resist the urge to move, to curl up tighter, as he felt the slightest pinch from his ribs- a quick, lingering pain that vibrated and settled heavy throughout his left side. It was surprising that he had managed to sleep with them aching as badly as they did in the first place. They were just barely ignorable now, which he was going to take advantage of for as long as he could.

"Have you gone to see the healer yet at least?"

 _Seriously?_

Could they _not_ take the hint here?

The hint that he didn't want to be bothered with right now?

But he recognized the voice well enough, and couldn't help but to think that he just... wanted to avoid the man for a little while longer. Despite the persistent headache, going on migraine, he could still remember the night before- quite clearly too. There was a lot to process from it- things and thoughts he didn't want to deal with right now. Maybe later when he had a clearer head, but... just not now.

Kung Jin heard the sound of quiet footsteps approaching him, and heard the way they stopped just next to his bedside.

There was a passing moment of silence, of stillness, before he felt the subtle brush of fingertips against the back of his arm- as though they had to assure themselves that he was rightfully there. Fingers moved to brush against the hand he had curled into his pillow next. He felt the flat of a thumb run over his knuckle- bruised and a little bloodied from the skirmish the night before. He hadn't noticed them last night- there was just too much to deal with- but he had certainly taken note of them that morning.

He had felt the stiffness of his fingers and knuckles, barely able to curl them at first without feeling the tight pull of tendons resisting the movement.

One too many incorrect punches thrown in the heat of the moment.

He would have to be better about it next time.

Foreign fingers curled against his hand before they pulled it away from his pillow, allowing it to unfold away from him. His door had been closed, _thankfully_ , so there wasn't any additional light filling the room- but still, some discomfort to his eyes remained.

There was no sense in trying to pretend that he couldn't be coaxed awake now.

No use in fighting it anymore- as much as it pained him to admit it.

"Can I help you?" Kung Jin muttered, as he pulled his hand free from the light grip, and moved to rub at his cheek- careful to avoid the sore perimeter of his black eye, and previously broken, now heavily bruised, nose. It was still hard to breathe through it, what with all the dried blood, but it was better than it had been the night before. Although the slight dryness of his mouth proved that it wasn't better by much.

He swore he heard the slight 'tsk' of the visitor's tongue clicking against teeth, a disapproving sort of sound, before Kung Jin felt fingers brush through his hair once more. Before he felt careful strokes gently pulling the loose strands away from his face, exposing the now-settled bruises on his jaw and cheekbone.

"Well at least I have the answer to whether or not you've seen the healer yet," Fujin started; there was a settled concerned hint in his voice as he spoke, before the Wind God carefully sat down on the edge of his bed. "Come, let me see."

Kung Jin tried to resist the slight movement from the shifted mattress, tried to ignore the way it slightly pulled on his ribs. Nothing serious- just more annoying than anything right now. He felt how the Wind God managed to slip one hand underneath his hidden jaw, clearly not waiting for his own response, before the man gently tilted his head back towards him. He didn't want to muster up the strength needed to pull away, or show annoyance at the touch, but figured the least he could do was offer a sarcastic remark in its place.

"You see it," he replied, gesturing briefly to his battered face, as he forced his remaining good eye open- feeling how the stiff swelling of his blackened eye made it basically useless for the time being.

And even with slightly impaired vision, it wasn't too hard to see the God's blurred look of concern.

"And I don't like it," Fujin admitted, as one hand moved to brush against his forehead now. "You're burning up too- come on, let's get the healer to look at you."

"Alright, fine," Kung Jin started, as he pulled himself out of the God's grasp- only to roll back over, and pull the pillow back over his head. "- Give me an hour or two."

There was another brief click of the man's tongue against his teeth.

"You'll see the healer now."

It was the tone of Fujin's voice that did a little more than imply that this wasn't an argument that he was going to win. Reading people's body language and listening to how they spoke was a skill he had been quick to pick up on; it was a good skill to have, and easy to master if one was attentive enough. And right now, it was telling him that if he wanted this situation to be as painless as possible, it was best to forfeit now.

(Not to mention, there was little good in arguing with a God).

"Fujin, it could potentially kill me if I walked outside right now," he groaned- a last ditch effort to prolong the inevitable. "So unless you want to summon up a storm, or an overcast, or something, I am not going out there."

That much was true.

His head was still killing him even now- making the backs of his eyes throb with every spot of light, and sound that got close to him.

"Fine."

Kung Jin almost wanted to call the man out on his bluff, but it only took a few seconds before he heard the wind beginning to rustle outside- heard the quiet melody of the wind chimes as they rocked against one another. Somehow he shouldn't have been surprised that Fujin would be the one to call him out in return, but he was, if only just a little bit. Because... of course the man would do anything for him.

Sighing, he barely put his hands up in a mock sign of surrender. "Fine, okay, you win."

A quiet chuckle from the other man seemed to be a bittersweet reward as Kung Jin slowly pushed himself up- nudging the Wind God out of the way as he did so. He kept his left arm braced against his ribs as he moved, hoping to offer them some sense of support as he worked his legs over the edge of the bed and got to his feet. The pain from his ribs kept him slightly hunched forward for a moment- just long enough for the pain to gradually pass before he worked himself straight again.

It really wasn't until then that he realized that he had been harboring a fever of some kind.

His body felt hot, and every limb seemed to weight heavier than they had before- although that could've just been a result of finally getting up after a night of dead sleep. This was probably nothing more than a stress fever- nothing more, nothing less. Just the aftermath of everything that had happened the night before- including the part where he had to break his nose back into place.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Kung Jin assured, rubbing slightly at his ribs to distract himself from the burning sensation in his throat. "Nothing more than some bruised ribs is all- they'll be fine." His words seemed to do little to assure the other man, but there was little else for him to say about it all.

At the very least, he was still dressed from the night before; he remembered not wanting to risk agitating his ribs with trying to wrestle himself out of his shirt. While he was somewhat worried about sticking out like a sore thumb in this attire on the temple grounds, it wasn't enough to hassle him into changing out of it. The pain alone wouldn't be worth the hassle to go through.

He would worry about it after his visit with the healers, and for whenever he would get around to showering.

For now, he just worried with getting into his boots, pulling his loose hair back and messily tying it together once more. "Alright, come on, you worrywart- you can walk me to the healer's to make sure I don't skip out on it."

Not that he would, but he was giving the Wind God an excuse to stick around for a little while longer.

(Despite the events from the night before... the man was still one of his closest friends- he didn't want to forget that).

It was an excuse that Fujin took him up on as the two of them stepped outside.

"Is this more suitable for you?"

True to the man's word, there was a thick overcast settling across the sky- blocking out the sun for the time being, and dropping the temperature slightly. It felt nice, and Kung Jin knew that the rest of the class out in the training fields were enjoying it more. His eyes still stung to some extent, but... not as badly as they could've. As much as he tried to avoid it, he still slipped his hood on to keep his eyes covered regardless, just as an extra precaution.

"It'll work," he answered, "- thanks."

The healer's chambers, conveniently, were located on the other end of the temple grounds, which meant that it would be quite the walk. One he wasn't exactly up to doing considering he could feel the slight weakness in his legs from all the running the night before. But, lucky enough for him, he already knew plenty of shortcuts around the grounds. It would still be a bit of a walk, but the fresh air might do him some good.

...

So far there was no mention of what had happened the night before still, and Kung Jin had to admit that part of him was relieved by it; it was just... best for everyone involved to forget that it had happened in the first place. Despite his feelings on the matter, it was still best to just leave the moment as it was and move forward. After all, he had been disoriented through adrenaline, and distracted by blood, and pain, and... there was no telling how much wine Fujin and Master Bo' Rai Cho had had before he had interrupted the two of them.

It was a bad combination for everyone involved- an unfair one even.

There just might be no truth to be found in the kiss between them.

(At the very least though, a few questions he had had about the man before were now answered- and they were geared into the Wind God's favor).

"You look worse today."

Kung Jin chuckled lightly at the obvious remark. "Yeah well... that's how it works," he replied, as he lead the man down one of the back walkways- taking Fujin on one of his constructed detours. "I doubt the healer can do much about it, but I guess it's worth looking into. I'd hate to see this pretty face go to waste."

Fujin laughed in response. "Come now, it looks bad- but certainly not _that_ bad."

"You never know," he offered, as he ducked under one of the low-hanging archways, before he lead the man through one of the gardens; he made sure to mind his steps, knowing well how quick the caretakers were to get angry over a single missing petal. "I could've got hit with something poisoned, or diseased. I could get an infection in my eye that could make it rot and fall out- or make the skin on my face peel off. The possibilities are endless-"

"Let's not... discuss such outrageous travesties," the Wind God interrupted, keeping a brief chuckle in his tone, although the slight worried look on his face seemed to say otherwise. "Perhaps though, it wouldn't hurt if we moved a little quicker, and hurried on to the healer."

 _Definitely worried._

"Sure thing," Kung Jin replied in mock agreement. "You know, you should be glad that I'm in this condition though- otherwise I would've left you in the dust by now."

"As a being who can summon up winds going over a hundred miles per hour, I highly doubt that."

Even with the shortcuts it still took them some time to get to the healer's, and even when they finally arrived, the healer herself didn't seem all that surprised to see him. She ushered him in, and loosely remarked that Master Bo' Rai Cho was losing his touch on teaching discipline and honor during training. He didn't bother to correct her, and gave the excuse that a set-up match had gotten just a little out of hand. And considering that no one else had been by to see her recently, she must've assumed that he had lost- and as much as it killed him, he still didn't try to correct her on it.

The less she knew, the better... Just like him.

Fujin opted to stay outside to wait, giving him privacy in the matter.

The healer touched up his injuries as best she could, but as he had predicted beforehand, there wasn't much she could do for the bruising- skin and ribs included. He would just have to wait for it to heal on its own since none of it was life-threatening. Thankfully.

(And he could deal with sneezing blood every now and again if needed be).

The most she could do was put a herbal rub on his lip, and give him a soaking mixture for his eye that would help to take the swelling down- as well as some burning salts that would help him breathe a little easier, and get rid of his fever. She offered a herbal mix to help with the pain and discomfort, but Kung Jin was quick to turn the offer down. He wasn't a fan of herbal blends; his stomach was more sensitive than he was willing to admit to.

The first, and last, time she had given him one to drink, he ended up puking for the rest of the night- which, of course, only made him more miserable than he had been to start off with.

He would take the annoyance of bruised ribs, and a previously broken nose over going through that again.

(He ended up spending more time walking to the healer's than he had spent actually with her- but there wasn't much he could do about that).

Thanking her, he departed and stepped back outside to where Fujin was still waiting.

"Don't you have better things to do?" Kung Jin asked. "You know, like, Godly things or something?"

"Not until much later," Fujin answered simply enough, and then added, "or until Raiden realizes that I'm missing."

The remark was enough to bring a slight chuckle to his lips, which seemed to have been the point of it.

"Skipping out on work then, are we?" he remarked, as he started the long-short walk back to his room. The herbal rub the healer had put on his lip had burned the entire time he was inside, but now it had gone from a comforting sort of numb, to a discomforting one; the kind that had him wondering that if he bit into his lip would he even feel it to begin with. "I know that feeling."

Fujin moved to follow him once more, taking up the empty spot at his side- as always. "Yes well, since I've decided to let Master Bo' Rai Cho live, my schedule for today has gotten rather empty."

"That's good to hear," Kung Jin started, not surprised that the man would bring it up. Last night one could've mistaken the God to be hell-bent on the decision. "It would've been too suspicious otherwise- and he and I still need to talk some details out."

"Like what?"

A surprised, almost pushy kind of question.

"Like none of your business."

The Wind God snorted with a soft chuckle. "We shall see."

The rest of the walk back to his room was taken mostly in silence, which was fine with him. The healer had given him something for the semi-migraine, but it would take awhile for it to kick in, and until then he would have to put up with the throbbing sensation in his skull. For now, the dimmed lighting and outside noise were tolerable, but Kung Jin was still looking forward to locking himself back up into the silence and darkness.

Slowly making it back to his room, Kung Jin pushed the door aside once more and stepped in- once more hearing Fujin step in behind him. He could already tell that someone else had been in here in his absence, taking the clue from the fresh sheets on his bed, and the clean water basin in the back. For now, he wasn't going to question it; he was willing to write it up as some kind of small return for all of the chaos that had happened the night before.

At the very least, it would make sleeping a little easier now.

"Alright, well as fun as this has been, unless you want to watch me sleep for the next twelve hours, I don't really see you needing to stick around," Kung Jin started, as he pulled the burning salts out of the bag the healer had given him- glad that he still had the burning dish for them. They were thick and coarse to the touch as he rolled a rock or two of salt between his fingers; these ones didn't have a fragrance to them, which was probably for the best. He could burn them while he slept without running the risk of waking up to a highly concentrated smell flooding the room.

(One of his classmates had made the mistake of doing so, and the domestic wing smelt like cinnamon for a week).

"Don't take that as a challenge, or offer to watch me sleep though, because that's just sort of creepy," he continued, as he poured a few of the salt rocks into the long, narrow dish perched on the window sill next to his bed. Just a few drops of oil, and a low flame, and things would be good to go from here. Hopefully the salts would work in this case; they had before, but mostly just in use for illnesses. His mother used to swear by them- swearing that they were the only things that had saved his life when he was a kid and a loose fever had spiked his temperature into the triple digits overnight.

He sort of guessed they were worth the trouble.

"Before you do... can we talk about what happened last night?"

"Listen, if you have questions about the whole thing, I can't answer them," Kung Jin quickly replied, hoping to shut the topic down. "You're going to have to go back to the fat man himself about the whole thing. Again, I was just the hired hand in all of this- the less I knew, the better."

"Of course- don't worry, I already got all of the answers I needed from Master Bo' Rai Cho," Fujin replied- an exasperated expression all too easy to red on his face. "At the very least, I suppose I can take comfort in knowing that you were running errands for his shadier end of business, rather than for his brewery."

Kung Jin snorted slightly at the quick response- not all that much surprised by it. "I don't drink," he spoke. "Can't stand the smell, let alone the taste- which makes the occasional one-on-one practice with Master Bo' Rai Cho a little hard to deal with sometimes. All depending on the time and day anyways."

The Wind God chuckled lightly as he nodded. "Yes well, believe it or not, it has not always been that bad." There was a slight pause, a slight drop in his tone that was worth taking note of, just before the man continued. "I didn't come here to talk about your business with Master Bo' Rai Cho though. I wanted to talk about what happened after that."

He stilled at the words, at the memory that came along with them. He guessed some part of him was sort of hoping that the man wouldn't remember what had happened between them- or that maybe Fujin would just drop it altogether.

There was really no sense in running from it any longer; he was getting tired of doing so himself.

If he just... got it over with now, it would be better for him in the long run.

(But he couldn't- all he was good for was running).

"I... Do you think we could discuss that at another time?" Kung Jin spoke instead, letting himself focus on the low flame of the burner instead. "It's been a long enough day as it is, and I wouldn't make for a good conversationist."

There was a pause- a hesitant silence.

"Of course," Fujin assured. "You should get some rest anyways."

Right.

He should.

"Yeah, but uh... thanks for, you know, coming with me," he started.

"Yes well, someone should try and keep an open tab on you," the God replied.

He chuckled at the remark and heard the sound of Fujin's footsteps leaving, heard the sound of his door opening and closing as the man departed. Leaving him to the silence, to his own thoughts- to his own arguments that barked back and forth between one another.

 _"What were you thinking?"_


	5. Chapter 5

It was an odd thing to watch a God sleep.

It was an odd enough thing to envision seeing as most people had a tendency of perceiving a God as a powerful, endless being. In written text, Gods were supposed to be protective, to be watchful- to never forfeit even a second of taking their eyes off of something; they were supposed to be all knowing, all watching.

And yet it wasn't always an accurate perception.

Kung Jin watched the man dozing next to him, taking note of how calm, how relaxed he seemed for the time being.

It was a good sign- a comforting one.

After their brief conversation before, he had made the suggestion that Fujin try to catch some shuteye. He didn't know how long exactly the man had been trying to calm the storm; he didn't know how much energy it took just to hold it off for this long- although one could presume that it wasn't a small exchange of power. Fujin had probably exerted most of his energy doing so, hoping to combat it against Raiden's unstable profile, all to no avail. And the latest release of his energy, the near freezing of the hallway, was just a small sign that something inside of him was wearing too thin.

And the last thing Earthrealm needed was two elemental Gods losing their stability.

Either way, after some mild arguing, Fujin ended up giving in to his suggestion easier than Kung Jin thought he would- not that he would complain.

Despite being cut off from the dormitory wing for the time being, the archives still offered a small guest room of such, which was where he had convinced the Wind God to stay. It would be cozy enough to serve as a temporary resting place, and Kung Jin had no doubts that Fujin had passed out here plenty of times before after one too many hours of countless research through the archives. The man had a habit of study- had a habit of going through entire book shelves without realizing it.

Kung Jin sat close by him, sitting amongst the tangled sheets, wrangled blankets, and pillows, and not feeling an ounce of wanted sleep himself. He had slept enough already; it felt like he might go crazy if he tried to close his eyes again. He had assured Fujin that he would rest but only because the God insisted that he looked equally exhausted- that he looked like death in walking form.

(And once again, Kung Jin had no doubts that he did).

Once Fujin had fallen asleep though, settling well into a deep trance, Kung Jin retracted his assurance and promise of such.

What the God didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

The silence of the room only seemed to be highlighted by the consistent pattering of rain outside- although it was much lighter and weaker this time around. Perhaps the storm was finally running out of steam, or maybe it was just the eye of the storm starting to settle over the temple. Either or.

The thunder had turned into a soft rumble now.

And any meteors that had been pulled out of the atmosphere by the unstable energy had finally burnt up and been reduced to ash just before making land fall.

The silence was comforting for once.

Kung Jin's attention was pulled away by the soft buzzing of the communicator nearby, the same one Fujin had used to speak with Master Bo' Rai Cho an hour or so before. It must've been the man calling back again- Kung Jin didn't know who else would call otherwise. General Blade had the other communicator and could access this same frequency, but he highly doubted that she would call up here; she really had no reasons to.

While the thought of speaking to someone else wasn't exactly a pleasant idea at the moment, Kung Jin reluctantly got up to answer it regardless.

After all there was no telling what news might be on the other line.

And if it continued to make so much noise, it would risk waking Fujin.

Getting to his feet, Kung Jin moved to where the Wind God had placed the device on a nearby table, before he carefully scooped it up and stepped out of the room with it. If it was the Shaolin Master calling, he would just have to take a message; he wouldn't be waking up the God over something trivial, and Master Bo' Rai Cho usually had nothing important to say anyways.

Stepping out into the hallway, he switched the communicator on as soon as he was out of range- and immediately heard a voice chime in at the opened connection.

"Anybody up there in Wind City?"

The voice caught him off-guard, and the mix of shock and surprise of it was enough to elicit a quiet chuckle. "Why are you calling up here, Cas? And more importantly, how are you calling up here?"

"Oh! Ha- kind of surprised I managed to get someone," Cassie spoke from the other line, sounding a mix of amused and humored at the sudden conversation. "I borrowed mom's tele-communicator thing and got her to request a frequency line to the Wind Temple from Master Bo' Rai Cho. I didn't really think that it'd go through so imagine my surprise. So let me guess and say that things are just as bad up there as they are down here."

Cassie had to have jumped through a lot of hoops to get all of those strings pulled.

It was... something worth noting.

And her immediate spill into a conversation was another.

"Yeah, something like that I guess," Kung Jin answered. "It's kind of hard to say though since I haven't been on the ground in a few days. I'd imagine the storm's gotten worse down there since."

"Oh yeah, you could say that," she replied. "The whole Special Forces base relocated down into the emergency bunkers a couple nights ago- and let me just say that living underground is not all that it's cracked up to be. They make it seem so safe and fun in all of those post-Apocalyptic movies but this shit can drive a person crazy."

Somehow Kung Jin never really saw that trend as being something that would be called 'fun'.

But then again Cassie grew up with an entirely different view of Hollywood movies.

The storm bunkers probably seemed more fun on-set.

"How long are you guys going to stay down there?" he questioned.

"Not much longer- at least not for me or Jacqui," Cassie answered. "We're gonna head out later today and head back home for a bit. I can't stand to be around here and I think mom wants me out of the war zone for now."

While part of him wanted to believe that that statement made sense, he was a little more surprised by it.

General Blade always seemed adamant about keeping Cassie close to the SF base.

"How's the General doing anyways?" Kung Jin decided to press- knowing that the last time he had seen the woman... she wasn't exactly in good shape. He wasn't officially a part of the Special Forces- not through paperwork or official signatures anyways. General Blade always quipped that he was 'on loan' from the Shoalin, which was a more accurate portrayal of how his work was integrated with the SF right now.

He also figured that that was as close to humor as the woman would get.

Still, General Blade had pulled out a lot cards and stops during this operation- and had gotten fucked over in the end regardless.

The least he could do was show concern for her well-being.

Cassie let out a low whistle from her end and that seemed to be answer enough.

"Hard to say," the woman started. "Mom's always been hard to read- unless she's like super pissed anyways. But lately she's just... she's been really quiet and she's not talking much about what happened, and to be honest it's kind of scary. I know she's pissed off about the whole thing, about how things went down, but she's being oddly reserved about it now. I don't know if something else happened while we were at the temple, or if she's hiding something from me- I tried to talk to her about it but she wouldn't budge. I tried to convince her to leave with me, to take a few days off to rest, but she wouldn't even consider it."

There was a pocket of silence.

A deep sigh that continued after.

"Believe it or not, I think she's worried."

"In her defense it would be hard not to be," Kung Jin reminded.

"I know- I know she's worried about dad, even though she won't outright admit it. And I know she's worried about Raiden, and about all of us," Cassie continued. "I just, I'm not sure what's going through her head right now. Maybe she feels like she fucked up and failed everyone, but it's not every day that the Dark Lord Shinnok shows up out of the blue."

"Or the Shirai Ryu."

A harsh scoff crackled the line between them.

"Don't remind me," Cassie sighed, "that's like a cursed word to bring up around here."

Kung Jin only saw the aftermath of the ordeal but the thought of the Shirai Ryu suddenly attacking the Special Force's base was still a hard concept to grasp. As was why the Grandmaster himself would go through and injury his own allies just to get to Quan Chi. In the small scheme of things, it was for revenge, which had alway been Grandmaster Hanzo's achilles heel.

But in the big picture... the man just about ruined everything they had worked for.

The reputation of the Shirai Ryu was smeared now.

Slandered by the hands of its own Grandmaster.

"... How's Takeda handling it?" Kung Jin questioned, a mix of concern for the man, but also hesitant to know the answer. To say that Takeda was in the center of the mess was a bit of an understatement. His clan, the one he had grown up with, was now marked as traitors to Earthrealm. He bore their symbol, now cast to dirt by no one else but themselves.

"Horrible," Cassie answered- the worst case scenario coming out on her tongue. "He's really confused and fucked up over the whole thing- even he can't quite get his head around what had happened, or why it happened. I think Kenshi's trying to save face around him by not saying anything about it, but I overheard mom talking about him earlier. She said you could feel his energy suffocating the place. Takeda's talked on and off about it too- he knows Kenshi's hiding something, but he can't get a reading on him. He's mentioned a few times that his dad's good at hiding shit, so there's no telling what's going through his head, which is kind of scary. I don't really want to be locked in an underground bunker with a pent-up telekinetic madman."

That sounded like a bad thing waiting to happen.

But Takahashi was more than a madman now and days.

And General Blade would be able to keep him calm enough to save everyone.

"I can't fault Takeda for being angry, you know? He's in a tough spot right now, and things were pretty shit enough as they were without all of this on top of it. I don't think he wants to think about it right now, but it's kind of hard to when he's literally surrounded by the aftermath."

Yeah, Kung Jin couldn't fucking blame him.

First it was them getting the shit kicked out of them in Outworld, which was closely followed by being imprisoned- and then escaping just in time to find out that Shinnok had gotten free from his medallion and was corrupting Earthrealm through means of the Jinsei chamber.

And then there was the shock of finding out that they were the only ones who could get to the Jinsei Temple in time, and even then they barely scraped by by the skin of their teeth just to reach the temple.

And then the Revenant showed up.

And Shinnok was there.

And Earthrealm was just barely saved.

The adrenaline of victory could only keep them going for so long though.

Everything eventually rounded up to the weeks spent in the hospital where they learned that the clan Takeda had grown up with had pulled a coup and turned on their Special Forces allies.

Where they learned that Grandmaster Hanzo himself had injured General Blade, C.O. Cage, and even Takeda's own father, the man who had rescued Hanzo from Scorpion decades before. The man that Hanzo had once called his own family, his own brother, and blood.

...

It must've felt like Takeda's entire world had fallen apart right then.

And there was no doubt that it still felt like that.

"You said you and Jacqui were leaving the base," Kung Jin started, "are you going to take Takeda with you?"

"Oh yeah, definitely- I can't leave him here with all this shit," Cassie replied. "Uncle Jax was kind of hesitant about us leaving, but I think that's more about Jacqui and Takeda than anything else. I mean I know the storm isn't going to be easy on us either, but I can't stay here. I can't stay underground under everyone's watchful eye for God knows how long this storm is going to last- I'll go fucking crazy. We all will."

Despite the sense of projected fear in the woman's voice, Kung Jin still found himself chuckling slightly at it.

Cassie had a knack for the dramatic twist on things, just like her father.

Although going crazy underground was a real threat to consider.

"What about you? How's everything going up top?"

Kung Jin mulled the question over, glancing slightly back at the closed door behind him- glad to know that nothing had yet to disturb Fujin for now. "Fine," he started, figuring simplicity was the best answer to keep to for now. "It's just... it's loud and sometimes things get to me."

"Yeah, same here," Cassie replied- seemingly admitted. "The bunker kind of mutes most of it, but... sometimes something will get through."

There was a slight pause.

A brief moment of silence- a moment of relating to what the other was saying.

A soft moment of relief in knowing that they weren't the only ones afraid of the crashing and thundering. That everyone else still jumped just the same- that they weren't the only ones carrying out the scars carved into their heads.

"So like... is your neck better?"

Kung Jin had to resist the urge to touch at the binding scar at the base of his neck once more; fingers itched, but he resisted. "Uh yeah, yeah, it's not so stiff anymore, and I can finally turn it without having to twist my shoulders with it," he answered. "How's your arm?"

"I'm still taking medication for the skin graft," Cassie replied. "It kind of sucks, but I guess it's not too bad. I don't have to keep the brace on it anymore at least so there's a silver lining in there somewhere. The donor site is pretty much healed at this point, and the doctor said that scarring should be minimal for both areas. It'll be a year or more for the skin to properly take and look normal again, but you know it beats being able to stare through my own bones."

Yeah, a cracking injury in the middle of the frozen forest had left the woman with less than half the necessary skin coverage on her left arm.

On-site treatment had been enough to keep the woman going, but hell it couldn't have been easy.

"So how's the Wind man doing?"

An odd sort of question coming from Cassie.

But with all the attention on Raiden at the moment there would be concerns in regard to his brother, who was having to keep things together in Raiden's absence.

"He's resting right now," Kung Jin answered, choosing to forgo other pieces of details for now. "He's been holding the storm off for a few days now, and while admirable, it wasn't doing much of anything in comparison to Raiden's power. He's uh... he's still pretty cut up about how things went down with Raiden, with Master Bo' Rai Cho, with..." and Kung Jin felt his own voice linger for a moment as though it was trying to figure out how to continue speaking from there, "- the Revenant."

"Everyone's alive. That's the main thing to remember here."

Cassie would kill him if Kung Jin said it, but he swore she sounded just like her mother then- just like General Blade.

He bit back his reserves, bit back the hesitation, and forced himself to ask while the moment was there.

"... How are the Revenant doing anyways?"

"Uh... hard to say," Cassie answered, a sort of drawn out sound in her voice. "They're locked up pretty tight right now, and no one's really allowed back there with them. Mom says they're doing good so far. I don't think she's expecting too much good news herself either, but anything is better than nothing at this point. I mean, they're still unconscious from the whole Jinsei thing, but they've been pretty stable from what I've heard. I wish I had more to tell you, but right now there's nothing too good, but nothing bad either."

Stale news at best then.

It didn't help, but Kung Jin supposed he had been looking for too much in the question.

He had no one but himself to blame for being disappointed.

"Oh- uh hey, it seems like we're getting ready to head out soon- Jacqui keeps waving at me," Cassie started. "I'll see if mom won't let me steal this thing from her- I doubt she needs it. Plus it's not much of a team getaway if we don't have the full team there."

"Well hey, maybe next time when there's not a storm threatening us," Kung Jin replied. "I'll keep this line open from my end though."

"Thanks, I'll call again soon, or if I hear anything," she remarked. "Take it easy, yeah?"

"Yeah, same to you."

The transmitter powered off when the conversation ended.

And Kung Jin found himself standing there for a few seconds, letting their entire conversation sort of echo and repeat itself over through his head.

It was crazy how the four of them had been at each other's throats when this whole mess started. Although in their defense, forcing together two Special Forces members, one of which was the General's own daughter, one Shaolin, and one Shirai Ryu into a random group was not necessarily the best idea. Just because their parents and relatives had played nice with each other didn't necessarily mean the same for them.

They were trying to make something of it now though so at least they had that.

They all made bad first impressions on each other, himself probably being the worst of them, but it seemed like they were putting those aside for now. They were all willing to start over again on the right foot.

Despite everything from before though even Kung Jin had to admit that he was still worried about the other three. It was always easier to check in with each other in person, always easier to crack jokes at each other's expense when they were face to face.

But it definitely felt different now.

It felt like things were far from being fine now that the comfort of being able to walk down the hallway to each other was gone.

...

Things would be okay though.

Shinnok had been defeated, Earthrealm had been saved, and they had survived all of it.

* * *

 _Kung Jin kept the string pulled taut, kept his arms steady, and his hands tight against the bow as he waited for the next disc to launch._

 _He kept his breath slow and concentrated, almost to the point of holding it, breathing just enough to keep his heart rate steady, and not pass out. His eyes were starting to strain from staring at the empty sky above the tree line, and just as he convinced himself to give a quick blink to relieve the tension, he heard the familiar 'sh-ink' of the launcher._

 _There was a slight catch of movement to his right and he released his arrow in response._

 _One perfectly calculated trajectory intersected another._

 _And he heard the successful crack of the clay disc breaking._

 _Giving out a heavy breath, Kung Jin dropped his bow just enough to relieve the tension in his arms- feeling the subtle ache in his fingers as well. Thankfully it was cool enough with the morning breeze that he wasn't out right breaking into a sweat, and he wasn't completely miserable under the morning sun. He knew it wouldn't last long though. But if he could get his practice time in before the afternoon heat rolled in then he could move inside to continue practice. He needed more time spent with controlled shots anyways._

 _Shaking himself out, he raised his bow once more and waited._

 _Only this time it wasn't the sound of the disc launcher that broke his concentration._

 _But rather the crunching sound of footsteps behind him._

 _Kung Jin stepped back and turned in one fluid motion, arrow still drawn back- and fingers twitching to release it._

 _He wasn't entirely sure what he was going to do other than potentially scare someone, but sneaking up on someone during practice wasn't exactly smart either. It was one of the leading causes of injuries and visits to the healers around the temple._

 _He ended up staring down the point of the arrow head at Fujin, who seemed just as equally surprised as him._

 _It had been awhile since the Wind God had come around and stayed longer than a few minutes at a time, and usually then it was just to drop in and speak with Master Bo' Rai Cho. Of course, the Shaolin Master blamed it on a minor crisis that the Protector Gods were having to deal with at the time- although the man never went into any more detail about it. And Kung Jin guessed that he didn't really care all too much about it either; God business was usually boring, took too long, and usually pertained to nothing- or at least, that was how Fujin had always described it._

 _(Whether or not it was true, it made him feel better knowing that he hadn't been the cause for the man's absence)._

 _It would seem as though it had been taken care of though._

 _There was a brief pocket of tense silence before he dropped his bow._

 _"Careful there, Fujin- could've put one through your eye," Kung Jin remarked._

 _The Wind God chuckled lightly in response, breaking any lingering tension. "I highly doubt that."_

 _A subtle tease, maybe a slight jab at the same time._

 _"I don't see why not," he started. "I've hit every target this morning so far."_

 _"Yes, and while admirable, it's important to note that your targets don't exactly fight back," Fujin reminded, just as the crack of another disc being launched went off. The disc didn't make it very far as the God froze it in place mid-air- circulating the wind around it to keep it stationary. "And they can't quite manipulate your shots like I can."_

 _Kung Jin gave a subtle groan. "Again, with the projectile-wind thing," he remarked, before he turned and drew the arrow back once more. He barely lined up his shot before he let it go- breaking the levitating disc in place. "Had I had known ahead of time, I would've invested my time and skills into something closer to the ground."_

 _"Perhaps so, but I think you would only come to find out that nothing really escapes my influence."_

 _He chuckled this time at the boasting remark as he made his way over to the disc launcher to shut it off- putting a few yards of breathing room between them for now. For his own sake as needed. "Let me guess, you had business with Master Bo' Rai Cho again?" Kung Jin asked over his shoulder, as he managed to catch the launcher just before it loaded up another disc. "And he either said that he was too busy, or he was just too drunk to talk right now, right?"_

 _"You know, for someone who trains under his guidance, you do not speak too highly of Master Bo' Rai Cho," Fujin pointed out._

 _"Yes well, I unfortunately usually have to stand downwind of him, so-"_

 _When Fujin laughed this time, Kung Jin was convinced it was out of sympathy and nothing else._

 _"Yes well, if you're not busy I'd like to borrow some of your time."_

 _"Depends on what you want to talk about," Kung Jin replied, catching the slight questioning look from the other man as he slowly made his way back. "I've been studying Outworld laws and practices all morning- I'm not in the mood for political banter about the latest scandal going on over there. Or really any political banter at all. So if you've got something to talk about outside of any of that it's fine."_

 _He felt like he had set himself up with that open-ended remark._

 _And such would be proven._

 _"Good, because I wanted to talk about the night of that skirmish," the Wind God started, "more specially what happened after it."_

 _Kung Jin stilled slightly at the words, regretting now his choice for leaving the topic available for discussion. He guessed part of him was sort of hoping that the God would've forgotten about it by now, or that maybe Fujin would've just dropped it altogether. It was hardly... anything of importance, so there was no real reason to keep going back to it. Of course as the thought of such crossed his mind, even Kung Jin had to call himself out on his own bullshit._

 _Acting as though he himself hadn't gone back through the night a few times over by now._

 _There was no real sense in running from the topic any longer._

 _He was getting tired of doing it anyways._

 _If he just... got it over with now, it would be better for him in the long run; it would be better for the both of them._

 _And it would've been better if he had just gotten it over with from the start instead of avoiding it like he had been doing..._

 _"Sure," Kung Jin offered as a weak response. "What about it?"_

 _He kept the shift of power in Fujin's control, forcing the man to carry the weight of the conversation- somewhat forcing the man to make the decisions here. It was an asshole kind of move, even he had to admit that._

 _"Something happened that night that I think we both need to face."_

 _Yeah that was one way of putting it._

 _(Unfortunately)._

 _There was no denying his nerves at the moment as fingers fiddled with the etchings on his bow, following the hand-carved designs over and over again. An useless distraction but it was something to keep his hands preoccupied with. "I kissed you," Kung Jin admitted, surprised that he had managed to muster up such a direct response; at least it was easy enough to keep his tone flat. "That's what happened and..." a stutter, although thankfully small, "look, I'm sorry it had been, you know, forced on you. I was still pretty messed up from the fight and I wasn't thinking clearly."_

 _It was the least that he could admit to._

 _And with all things given, he wanted to sound genuine about it._

 _"It's fine," Fujin assured, giving a breath of relief to the conversation. "Looking back on the matter and at my own behavior, I got the impression that I had lead you on, or had forced you into something-"_

 _"It wasn't forced," Kung Jin assured in response, speaking a little quicker than he wanted to- than he intended to._

 _The Wind God gave a slight pause at the remark, seemingly perplexed, before the man spoke again. "... Then what was it?"_

 _The question caught Kung Jin by surprise. The obvious sense of curiosity in the man's tone was enough to completely unbalance him- enough to leave him unable to respond for a passing moment or two as he tried to regain his footing. And his grip as he felt his bow nearly slip out of his hands. "What was... what?"_

 _"You said that you kissed me and that it wasn't forced so... was it intentional?"_

 _"Yeah."_

 _The answer spilled out of him before Kung Jin had the chance to stop it, or at least consider the ramifications of it- or at least not seem so jumpy to answer. He wanted to kick himself for the response; he was getting too anxious, he was letting his guard down, and making mistakes. If he wanted to push through this conversation as easy and clean as possible than he needed to get himself under control._

 _Which was a lot easier said than done._

 _"I just- look, like I said before, I had just gotten back from that run, and things had gone unexpectingly bad. I was still breathing on adrenaline, and I was pissed off, and... you were there," Kung Jin started over again, not willing to admit to the slight stumble in his words now. "And you kept kissing me-"_

 _"You said it wasn't forced-"_

 _"It wasn't," he interrupted, "I just- I-"_

 _Words were really starting to fail him now._

 _It felt like he was scrambling just to put enough of them together to form something halfway coherent._

 _This was a very delicate situation for him to deal with, that much was painfully obvious; he refused to run the risk of destroying what they already had between them- which up until now was nothing more than a friendship, a practical familial bond. Which was something he had to admit was more than anything he had shared with anyone else before. And he was perfectly content with leaving it at that._

 _But that night had given him a small glimpse of what it could be like._

 _And as much as he was trying to push it down, push it away, get rid of it... it was addictive._

 _"Jin?"_

 _"Why did you kiss me back?" Kung Jin questioned instead- able to string that much together at least. Able to recall how Fujin could've (and maybe should've) pushed him away after that first kiss, but didn't. In fact the man had adhered to his request not once, but twice- and then a minor third as well. One time would've been a courtesy- an attempt to let the motion go given the circumstances._

 _But the rest was worth questioning._

 _If anything he felt like it was his turn to put the Wind God on the spot._

 _"Why wouldn't I?" Fujin replied, as though that alone was supposed to answer him at all._

 _"That doesn't- you can't answer my question with another question," Kung Jin objected, giving it a few seconds before the man's response dawned on him. Answering a question with a question gave no answers, but in this case it only left him with more than he was willingly to ask about. "Wait- what? What do you mean why wouldn't you?"_

 _"Well now look who's answering a question with a question," Fujin remarked._

 _And Kung Jin swore that the man was playing with him now; he swore he saw the slightest of twitches on the corners of the man's lips._

 _It left him with the urge to curse the man, the words already forming in his throat. And perhaps it was the burning look that he shot the other man, but it seemed to cause the God to reel back a little._

 _A heavy sigh escaped the Wind God before he started to speak once more- a little quieter this time around. "I didn't like seeing you hurt like that," Fujin finally admitted. "I understand that it comes with the territory, that it comes with becoming a Shaolin, but... I wasn't expecting something to happen before your training was through. I wasn't expecting something to happen in Earthrealm- although our history would dictate otherwise. Your injuries weren't dangerous by any means, and the situation they came with was an one-time thing, but it started a thought process that I couldn't shake, that I couldn't get rid of. It made me realize that I..."_

 _A pause._

 _A slight trail of the single word- hesitation even._

 _"I'm not prepared to lose you under any means so soon, or under any means at all."_

 _Kung Jin stilled slightly at the soft confession, if one wanted to call it that, and let his eyes take the Wind God in- taking note of the man's quiet aura. There had been a subtle breeze that morning, one he had calculated against with every arrow, but now the air was still. The words were subtle, showing more concern for his well-being, for their companionship, giving a rare opening to the Wind God's own fears from the past._

 _But it was the context, the conversation, that the words were slipped in to that implied an answer to something else._

 _He couldn't help but to think that the Wind God was ageless; Fujin had been around for centuries upon centuries. This couldn't have been the first confession that the man had made, and the stories and rumors that usually followed him would provide ample enough evidence for such statement. One would think that for a man who had lived for so long, he would've been better equipped for situations like this. That Fujin would've been more experienced, more confident in his answer- that he wouldn't beat around the bush so much as get straight to the point._

 _But it all came back to context._

 _As much as he would've liked to, Kung Jin didn't fall into the easiness of the words. "If this is because of what happened with Kung Lao-"_

 _"No-"_

 _The question was barely off of his lips before he was cut off- but he had to know._

 _He had to make sure he wasn't seeing this in the wrong light before it went any further._

 _"This has nothing to do with him," Fujin assured. "This feeling is solely between you and I."_

 _Kung Jin waited; he was expecting the God to go somewhere with the words, with the remark, to continue whatever thought process he had- but nothing else came from him. In the connecting silence, Kung Jin was forced to let the remark sink in, to let it scatter around in his head, hoping that maybe the words would make landfall somewhere- hoping that maybe this whole situation would come together and make sense to someone._

 _"... Just say it."_

 _The words were quiet, just barely above a whisper it felt._

 _A quiet urge that came without the push._

 _"I think I've said more than enough," Kung Jin started, quiet in his own right._

 _Because the truth in the matter was that he had said more than enough- more than he usually would. Both of them had. And he was willing to drop the subject here if needed, if only because he wasn't sure of where it would go from here. Maybe even a little afraid of where and how things would go from here. And even he had to admit that it was always the unknown that held him back._

 _And right now, with only speculation of how things would turn out, the risks were too great to sacrifice to the unknown._

 _"I don't really need to say any more, do I?" he finished._

 _"Perhaps not, but I-"_

 _"Ah, here you are, Brother Fujin! I heard you were looking for me!"_

 _If there was one more thing for the two of them to share it was the jump of surprise at the sudden interruption as Master Bo' Rai Cho made his way over to them. And judging by his tone, his body language, he was none the wiser about what they were just discussing._

 _"I hope I'm not interrupting anything here," Master Bo' Rai Cho continued as he paused between the two of them, looking from one to the other before he set his attention on Fujin instead. "Although I should remind you that you are once more distracting my student."_

 _If Fujin had any sort of panic or stumbling in his words, it certainly didn't show. "Yes well, haven't you heard about the latest ordeal with Outworld?" Fujin questioned. "The war between Osh-Tekk and Tarkatans is still turning out bloodshed and the Shokan population is nearly extinct as a result. I've been trying to discuss the implications of it with Raiden, but of course he won't hear any of it; he's too busy with other matters, and Outworld has never been at the top of priority list. I thought that you might be interested in discussing the matters, but of course you were nowhere to be found when I got here-"_

 _"I was busy," the man insisted._

 _"I'm certain you were," Fujin replied, although his tone might've hinted otherwise. "Jin is studying Outworld law and politics, and good study desires consistent updates so it wasn't like I was distracting him with nonsense- if anything I was helping him with your next exam."_

 _"Yes well study hours are reserved for the afternoon so you're welcome to come back and resume your conversation then," Master Bo' Rai Cho spoke, before he clapped the Wind God on the shoulder with a brisk laugh. "Now come, brother, I have time and I know how you are with your business- let's head back to my office for some wine and we'll talk."_

 _It was such a surreal turn of events that Kung Jin still wasn't entirely sure of what had just happened._

 _One minute it was him and Fujin discussing... things._

 _And then next it was Fujin and Master Bo' Rai Cho leaving to discuss whatever business Fujin had originally came here for._

 _He didn't want to say that it felt as though he had just dodged a bullet, but it was an accurate statement nonetheless._

 _"And Jin," Master Bo' Rai Cho started, turning his unwanted attention back to him. "I know how you favor the bow, but remember not to skimp out on your Chakram this time. You passed the last exam with it, but it was sloppy."_

 _Kung Jin frowned at the statement but admitted that there was a breath of relief to take at the same time. It gave him an opening to leave- and a reason to be busy for the rest of the day. Although he could've gone without the last remark. "Of course, Master Bo' Rai Cho- I'll go ahead and switch to the other field."_

 _And with that, he left._

 _Leaving the unfinished conversation behind him._


	6. Chapter 6

The silence in the temple felt antagonizing now.

The crashing thunder that had once echoed down the corridors, that had once filled every room with vibrations and power, was now gone. And the silence that lingered afterwards felt awkward and out of place as it now filled the once trembling rooms. The quiet made Kung Jin want to believe that the storm was finally over, that it had finally passed on and that the energy controlling it had dissipated. It made him want to believe that the weeks spent inside dealing with the rain, the thunder, and lightning had finally came to a soft quiet end.

Or perhaps maybe Fujin's collective energy had finally managed to put the storm on hold.

As of lately though, Kung Jin refused to let himself believe in much.

(Especially anything regarding to peace around here.)

One of the closed window shutters, now splintered from its frame hung open to reveal that there was still rain in the distance; there was still rain in the form of rolling dark clouds and a blurred horizon line that seemed to be getting closer and closer still.

If the rain could return than anything and everything could come back as well.

It meant that the auditory torture could keep repeating itself as an ever-looping cycle- one that could roll back through with a force twice as strong as before.

Still...

Kung Jin allowed the somewhat hopeful thought to drag him through the quiet archives, leading him back into the main room where he and Fujin had spent most of the storm waiting in.

Leading him back to the solid oak doors that had separated him from the chaos outside.

The window shutters, while partly damaged now, were no longer rattling and shaking in place. The wind was no longer pounding them relentlessly against the wooden frames in an attempt to break or rip them off completely. Most of them still seemed to be in place with only a few that had broken off a hinge or two- and the splintered openings allowed for a mess of water to form on the indoor flooring of the temple.

The wind chimes, once battered and shrieking in the heavy winds, were still and quiet now. The few chimes that still rang out were few and far between and were so soft that Kung Jin barely heard them in the first place. He had some worry for the once decorative and vibrant chimes; they were Fujin's favorite, which came as no surprise for a proclaimed Wind God.

Sighing, Kung Jin decided to go with the way things seemed to be presenting themselves and tested his luck as he pushed one of the oak doors open.

And the fact that he was able to open it to begin with said enough.

Stepping out onto the freshly-flooded courtyard, Kung Jin could see how the clouds were still dark above him and even darker on the horizon still. But the clouds were no longer twisting and whirling aggressively around the temple; they no longer seemed to be making threats of swallowing it whole. It was a good first sign but it didn't guarantee them anything.

(After all the horizon was still pitch dark and blending.)

The rain was still constant, abet much softer now.

For once, Kung Jin could see the end of the courtyard from where he was standing, which was an improvement.

The breeze was cold yet refreshing against the thick humidity that the rain had brought in with it.

Fresh bolts of lightning still strung themselves together across the sky, hinting that this could potentially only be the eye of the storm instead. It hinted that there was still plenty more to come once the eye had passed and the storm's energy had been replenished.

Much like it had been only that morning, where Fujin's protective barrier had forced the storm to split around the temple.

For now however, the quiet felt reassuring enough.

Reassuring in the sense that the storm was progressively moving, that it was passing on and that it wasn't infinitely being cycled over and over again.

He had no idea what the extent of Raiden's powers were- especially in an unstable and unconscious state.

But if things were moving than it was an upside to something.

Kung Jin barely heard the sound of the oak doors behind him opening once more and only looked back at the sound of wet footsteps following him. He couldn't say that he was surprised to see the Wind God already awake- but he did feel a hint of disappointment at it. He had hoped that the God would've stayed resting for an hour or more longer- more so for Fujin's own health and the God's need to rehabilitate his energy.

And at the same time, Kung Jin had to admit that he found the silence therapeutic in a sense.

Part of him was still apprehensive about being alone but with the silence, with the stillness, he was beginning to feel more comfortable with the idea again.

"Rise and shine," Kung Jin started as he turned back towards the God, catching the quiet chuckle that escaped him. "Did I wake you?"

"No, no, of course not," Fujin assured as one hand brushed over his white hair, which was now lacking the thin headband that usually kept it back. A few thick strands of hair had fallen to cradle against the man's jawline, providing an unique look to the God's usual straight-cut appearance. Unfortunately, despite the God's title, the soft breeze that blew across the open courtyard seemed to be making it difficult for Fujin to pull the long strands back into place. "I just... I noticed that something seemed different- that something felt off."

Kung Jin cocked his head at the less-than-elaborated answer, knowing well that it could go either one of two ways. "What feels different?" he asked, more than a little curious for what the Wind God could sense that he couldn't.

"The energy mostly; it doesn't... it doesn't feel so controlling now," Fujin continued- and then added before Kung Jin could press him on it. "I can't say for certain that it is a change in a good or bad way. It feels calmer for sure, a little more stable as well. It feels like things might be on the right path to correcting themselves but I am hesitant to sign my name to that declaration. I don't- I don't want to give in to false hopes."

Well, at least they were on the same wavelength then.

And that was some comfort brought to the situation.

"Did you sleep well at least?" Kung Jin questioned, choosing to switch the topic at hand; he knew when to put a conversation at ease- for the most part anyways.

"Well enough I suppose," Fujin answered, although the dim light in his eyes seemed to hint otherwise. The man was still exhausted, still drained from perhaps more than just the overexertion of his energy. He was having to keep a watchful eye over Earthrealm now, a position he had held centuries before; a position now complicated by more than just a near-catastrophic corruption and a would-be invasion that ran coincide with one another. Earthrealm was now being hindered by the power of its own protector God. "Did you come out because of the storm- well, perhaps the lack of one now?"

Right.

Fujin didn't know that he had spent most of the spare hour walking around and trying to get his thoughts together- trying to exercise a little while he was at it. The storm made him feel stiff and being stuck indoors didn't help him either. Kung Jin had never been much of an indoors person; he had always been a nature lover at heart and spent a greater portion of his life being outside.

But he sure as hell wasn't stupid enough to try and chance it with a storm like this.

Or rather, with a storm that was.

A storm that had been and maybe would be.

"Cassie called in earlier," Kung Jin replied as he fished the communicator device out of his pocket. "General Blade pulled some strings with Master Bo' Rai Cho apparently and Cassie was able to give me some updates about what's been going on on ground level." There was a slight pause as he recalled his previous conversation with his teammate, as he recalled the disappointment he had been trying to shake off for the past hour- another reason he had felt so anxious locked inside of the temple. "Cassie let me know that everyone's doing okay as of now, which is reassuring. And I let her know that things have been fine up here for the most part."

The white halos of Fujin's eyes lit up for a moment at the remark.

"Was there anything new from the Special Forces?"

Of course, Fujin would want the same answer that he too had looked for.

And Kung Jin hated to be the bearer of bad news.

"... No."

If Fujin was at all disappointed by the lacking answer, he didn't show it.

Instead, the Wind God gave the sky around them another look-around, taking in the sight of quiet clouds and quiet raindrops. For a moment it seemed as though Fujin was enjoying the weather- no doubt this felt more like home to him. This was what he was used to and that sense of familiarity was more than he could ask for; it was a small glimpse into something that could provide stability and comfort for his exhausted state.

"Come, let's go back inside."

* * *

 _Kung Jin knew that Fujin would show up again despite the waning hour._

 _He knew that the Wind God wouldn't be able to let their earlier conversation go._

 _Fujin hated to leave things unfinished and there was no doubt that Master Bo' Rai Cho's interruption had been less than accepting for the Wind God. And Kung Jin knew that such a delay between them speaking would've been eating at the man all day. Fujin would've had to spend his time with Master Bo' Rai Cho knowing that there were still things between them that had been left unsaid, that there were still things for them to discuss- things that maybe needed to be discussed._

 _And yet, with the Shaolin Master's insistence on finally talking, Fujin would've been powerless to do much about it._

 _And such a situation would've pushed and eaten at the God's patience._

 _..._

 _Kung Jin knew that Fujin would show up eventually and found himself purposely stalling so that he might have time to wait for the Wind God._

 _It wasn't quite curfew yet so he still had time to waste- and even if it was curfew, he was only out in the practice field cleaning up, which was usually excusable. All he had to say to the night watch was that he was still putting the range targets up so that the practice field would be clear and ready to go for tomorrow morning. As long as he was being responsible and careful with the equipment, the night watch would give him a ten-minute break and leave him alone._

 _(It wasn't quite like last time where he had been out clear past the temple grounds and was having to sneak back inside without being caught.)_

 _Still Kung Jin felt as though he was stalling too much as he placed one of the rounded target boards back into the storage shed._

 _He had spent most of the remaining afternoon practicing with his Chakram, although he didn't have much luck with it. He barely hit any of his intended targets and even when he did hit, the rounded blade just about obliterated the target in a show of blunt force rather than calculated grace. But his hands had been shaking too much; his head had been too cloudy to think straight, too cloudy to focus on the obvious target in front of him._

 _He got caught up in the unclaimed thoughts that just kept pulling him back over and over again._

 _Even now, hours later, near in the dead of night, Kung Jin couldn't shake the morning off of him._

 _Fingers checked the holding rods to ensure that the practice target was held in place and that it was sturdy enough to hold throughout the night._

 _Some of these holding racks were ancient and had a tendency of breaking during the night if too much weight was placed on them._

 _(And broken targets weren't fun to practice with.)_

 _Kung Jin toyed with the idea of finishing his work now so he could just head back to his room instead- and perhaps wait for Fujin there. But even he had to admit that that wasn't the greatest idea and/or plan. Standing out in the open guaranteed certainty that Fujin would show up. Waiting anywhere else, especially in the comforts of his room, sliced that guarantee by half, maybe even less. It had been perfectly acceptable for the Wind God to visit his personal quarters the first time, but doing so now would potentially draw unwanted attention._

 _And neither of them would want to be subjected to outside questioning right now- although they could both easily bluff their way through it._

 _(If anything, he supposed it would be a place he could retreat to if needed be.)_

 _"You told me to 'just say it' before," Kung Jin started, knowing now that he was no longer alone. He had been observantly aware of Fujin's arrival for several minutes now and had pretended to play blind to it. It had been difficult not to cast a glance towards the Wind God as he had picked up yet another target and loaded it into the shed with the others. It had been difficult to pretend that he hadn't noticed the stillness in the night breeze now, that he hadn't noticed that the lantern's flame was stationary- an offset to its flickering wave earlier._

 _He had always been able to pick up on the clues._

 _There was no hiding from him when things were out of the ordinary._

 _"But if I say it out loud, I can't take it back."_

 _Silence at first._

 _Fujin was being just as equally quiet as he was._

 _Kung Jin knew for certain that there was plenty for them to say, plenty for them to talk about- but neither of them knew how to start that conversation. Neither of them knew how to pick things back up from before, how to start over on a conversation that had barely even started to begin with. Even he wasn't entirely sure of what to do, of what to say but anything was better than waiting in silence._

 _Picking up the last of the targets, Kung Jin hung it on the still stable holding rack, filling up the storage shed for whoever wanted to use it in the morning. The smart thing for him to do would be to be out here tomorrow morning himself, unloading the night's work, and continue practicing with his Chakram. But the weapon felt too heavy at his side still- maybe the day after instead._

 _"It becomes real and then there is nothing I can do about it."_

 _His breaking of the uncomfortable silence seemed to be for nothing as the quiet stillness only crept back in._

 _If only for a few lingering seconds anyways._

 _"Is that such a bad thing?" Fujin finally spoke._

 _"I don't know," Kung Jin offered in response, using his building exhaustion to help dull down his would-be frustrations with the situation. This certainly wasn't the first time this subject had been breached upon but each time it was it only seemed to get more and more frustrating for him to deal with. It was to no fault of Fujin's though. This was simply his battle to take on and unfortunately he had just gotten so accustomed to not fighting it that he wasn't sure if he could. "You're not the first person, I'll give you that- but you're becoming the first one I've really struggled with."_

 _"So you've-"_

 _Kung Jin wasn't certain if Fujin had purposely left the sentence to linger or if he had interrupted the man with his sudden brisk laugh._

 _He wished he could say that he didn't know where the laugh came from but then he would just be playing himself the greater fool here._

 _"Believe me, I have known for a long time now," Kung Jin replied- well aware of where Fujin's question was headed. "It was just easier to deal with when all I did was run shady errands for shady people who didn't even care to know my name, let alone know who I was to begin with. I guess there was this feeling of invincibility with it- not that I was stupid enough to believe it in full."_

 _He didn't often think back on the time spent between leaving home and joining the Shaolin._

 _After all, deciding to become one with the Shaolin hadn't been an immediate decision for him._

 _He had been in limbo with it for over a year- well, closer to three years if he really wanted to be honest with himself._

 _Nearly three years spent dealing with questionable people, getting into situations that were far from ideal- but well worth their weight in gold at the end. It was hell at times but Kung Jin would be damned if he didn't learn just about everything he knew from it. The experience gained was enough to make the torture worth it._

 _(After all, people with money asked for a lot of things- and he very rarely couldn't offer what they wanted.)_

 _"The people here know who I am, they know where I come from," Kung Jin continued, pushing memories and thoughts aside for a moment; he reluctantly added, "there are standards for me to adhere to."_

 _There was silence still from the Wind God._

 _If only until it was broken by a heavy sigh._

 _"I won't argue your point," Fujin started, careful he seemed with his words, "because I know somewhere along the way you were forced to shape that opinion about yourself. It... it doesn't have to be like that but I know that I am speaking from an entirely different view point than yours."_

 _Honesty at least._

 _A given sense of understanding._

 _"Isn't it odd from your point of view though?" Kung Jin pressed._

 _"As someone who has lived for countless centuries, the ability to care for what some people might think of me or my decisions has eroded with time," Fujin offered. "And you would be surprised how that alone seems to anger people, which only furthers my point in doing so. However, it is of no secret to those who know me that I have no real preferences for who I seek or for who might seek me. Throughout the decades I have had countless experiences with a wide variety of people, of beings alike. I've had experiences with spontaneous ones, experiences with the slow, quiet burning over time. If I might confess, I'm usually good at picking up the signs."_

 _There was a touch of humor in the God's voice as though he was poking fun at himself just the same._

 _Playing humor with his proposed arrogance._

 _"Very rarely does something sneak up on me when I least expect it- when I'm too preoccupied with someone I didn't think would seek out the same in me."_

 _Oh._

 _"People will always be unhappy with things that are out of their control, which is often why they are unhappy to begin with," the Wind God continued. "There is often very little in your control regardless of the matter, so it will always be best to do what makes you happy first and cast the others asides. I have always been content with my dealings in the past and... this would be no different."_

 _Kung Jin let himself muse the words over._

 _It felt like there was so much being said yet so little happening that he didn't want to think._

 _He didn't want to think of how things were looking at this point, how things had been said- and just what exactly had been said._

 _There was so much coming undone at one time, so much already out in the open, he wasn't sure if there was anything left to give._

 _He had heard plenty rumors about Fujin's escapades, perhaps much to the annoyance of Raiden who preferred to keep his focus on Earthrealm. And while the Wind God had apparently been known for his promiscuity, Kung Jin had never known the man to be in current sheets with someone. For as long as he had known the God, at least for the past few years, Fujin had been a solitary kind of person._

 _(And perhaps now he knew why.)_

 _(Perhaps the man had not been as solitary as he had presumed.)_

 _"So why didn't you just say something sooner?" Kung Jin asked next, knowing well the question was rather blinding._

 _"Because certain situations can be... fickly when you're a God," Fujin answered. "People have this already perceived mindset about us, with the assumptions that Gods have a habit of going around and sleeping with mortals. And in the days of my youth, they wouldn't necessarily be wrong about it. Considering how Gods have acted in the past as well, consequences are so rarely acted upon. Although I am certainly not naming names here but if one wanted to looked towards the former Edenian Gods as an example- Argus, the Heaven's bless the arrogant bastard's soul."_

 _Kung Jin let himself give a laugh at the accusing statement._

 _Months spent studying other realms and learning their histories and cultures would not prove the Wind God wrong._

 _If anything it would only give proof to his point._

 _"Of course, just as well, I think that we can both understand the... odd circumstances between us," Fujin finished._

 _"If that isn't the biggest understatement of the night," Kung Jin remarked; he gave a heavy sigh and ran an equally heavy hand down his face before he finally turned around to face the other man. Even in the faint glow of the nearby lanterns, Fujin's eyes caught the incandescent orange off of the candles. Orange halos acted like fake pupils against an empty canvas- and yet it still felt as though they were staring back at him. "... So what are our choices here?"_

 _"Well, most of them are complicated."_

 _Kung Jin expected the God to continue with the thought._

 _Only to be met with silence instead._

 _"That's it?" Kung Jin pressed._

 _"I don't... I don't know what else to say to be honest," Fujin continued, and for once his usual broad, confident tone sounded shaky now. "I am glad that this was spoken about and that we talked, but I know that it would be wiser still to wait. Things are still... hasty and unorganized; I think there is still much we need to think on. It would be wiser still to wait- at least until after your graduation before we allow anything else to develop."_

 _There was hesitation still in the man's voice._

 _Just barely masked under what would be, or should've been, an experienced tone._

 _But one could see the frustration in his features still when he talked._

 _If Fujin had any confident on the matter, it wasn't showing up now._

 _"But at the same time, I am battling with the experiences of having waited too long," Fujin pressed, sounding more as though he was arguing aloud with himself. "Nothing is guaranteed and being a member of the Shaolin is a dangerous business- and as I have admitted to before, I'm just not ready to lose you under any circumstances."_

 _It was almost gut-wrenching to hear the man nearly battle with himself over the situation._

 _On one hand, Fujin wanted to play it safe; he wanted to keep things as they were for now but leave the door open for another time._

 _And on the other hand, Fujin remembered open doors being slammed shut before anyone could pass through the threshold._

 _It was a battle taken in present and past times._

 _"Alright well considering that I'm twenty, you can throw the age-thing out if that's what you're worried about," Kung Jin started. "Let's face it, that's not exactly something that we're going to hit equilibrium with." It was crude at best perhaps but it got a chuckle out of Fujin. "Also seeing as I've been kicking everyone's asses since I got here, it's not like someone can pull the 'sleeping with you to get into the Shaolin' card."_

 _"Master Bo' Rai Cho would have a fit," Fujin reminded, looking as though he was trying to keep a straight face and failing horribly at his remarks._

 _"Fujin, you know me, when was the last time I cared about what Master Bo' Rai Cho thought?" Kung Jin questioned instead- and was once more rewarded with a quiet laugh that seemed to be breaking the last hint of tension between them. "Believe me, if Master Bo' Rai Cho gave even a thought about what I cared for, he wouldn't force me to train with him immediately after he's been drinking- or eating for that matter."_

 _"I would reprimand you for being awful but there is good reason in your words."_

 _There certainly was._

 _Kung Jin caught the extinguishing of the lantern lights at the practice field just behind Fujin and was once more reminded of the late hour. Why did they always have to toy with this discussion when it was so late at night? And when the night watch seemed to be so venomously against him. Kung Jin turned back just long enough to close the storage doors behind him- ensuring that they closed with a solid click, sealing the practice targets away until morning._

 _He was fine with stalling for time by doing clean-up but he wasn't looking to get hit with doing nightly clean-up for the rest of the month. He had been forced to do it once before for getting into a non-training related fight and it wasn't something he wanted to repeat._

 _"I can't really stand out here all night talking about this-" Kung Jin started as he turned back around towards the God._

 _"Is something wrong?" Fujin interrupted._

 _Kung Jin paused slightly at the interruption, once more taking in what looked to be worry on the God's face. At the same time he felt himself get hit with an odd indescribable feeling himself. As he let his eyes linger on the Wind God, he came to the realization that he didn't have to hide or run away from what he was seeing, from what he was feeling. For once and maybe just for now, he could just let things be as they were, as they are._

 _"It's past curfew," Kung Jin answered, simply enough, "and I'm not entirely sure of how well the night watch will accept what's going on here as an excuse for it."_

 _"I can speak to Master Bo' Rai Cho if you're worried about them," the Wind God offered._

 _"I'd rather not drag him into this," he started, "- unless of course you would like to explain all of this to him."_

 _The Wind God made a face that implied that he didn't wish to cross that line either. "It would be best to avoid such a situation," Fujin agreed before he reluctantly seemed to continue. "We can finish this conversation at another time if you wish- perhaps when it's not so late."_

 _He really didn't want to keep pushing it off._

 _He just wanted to get it over with while they were so close to doing so._

 _It seemed like they had both laid their cards out but what needed to be said was still left unfinished._

 _"I don't know, this late-night talk is just sort of our thing now," Kung Jin remarked, catching sight of more lanterns being extinguished now- this time along the outer walking paths. He probably only had a few minutes to spare at this point. The pressure was definitely building but unfortunately he worked best under a time constraint. "Look, I've been putting pressure on getting an answer from you so... it would only be fair if I gave one back for once."_

 _"Jin, it's fine, we can speak in the morning after studies-"_

 _Despite bringing up the topic himself, as well as dealing with the obvious sense of pressure, the words were still harder to start off with than Kung Jin thought. "Adrenaline's a hell of an instigator and the only reason I kissed you that night was because for once it felt like I could. I was two kinds of fucked up and you might've been a little drunk yourself and it just seemed like we were both human in that moment- and also really out of it. So I was just banking on neither of us remembering it," he started. "I just thought that, you know maybe if I did it, maybe if I kissed you, than it would help me get over you. That maybe if I just let myself go this one time I wouldn't be tempted by it again. And as expected, that backfired wonderfully."_

 _For a guy who really couldn't afford to stand out here and talk past curfew, he sure as hell was doing exactly that._

 _And he still hadn't exactly given an answer yet- not a clear one anyways._

 _And the night watch was bound to be coming up the hill at any time- and this wasn't exactly a conversation he wanted them to overhear or walk in on._

 _(And confessing his feelings to the Earthrealm Wind God wasn't going to get him out of anything anyways, so what was the point?)_

 _"I just-" Kung Jin continued only to stop as he watched Fujin raise one hand. He thought the Wind God might say something or might be gesturing for him to stop out of caution for the night watch._

 _Instead, he watched as the God made a snapping motion with his fingers, although no sound was heard._

 _And he watched as darkness swept in all around them._

 _He was more confused than taken back by the motion and it was only when he felt the subtle breeze back on his skin did he realize what had happened. And did he realize just how ingenious the timing of the breeze was._

 _The faint glow of the night watch's lanterns came to a pause where they were, just a hillside away from where he and Fujin stood. There seemed to be hesitation in their motions as the lanterns didn't move for several long seconds._

 _And when they finally started to move again, it was in a direction away from them._

 _"Did you just trick the night watch into thinking the other group had gotten here before them?" Kung Jin asked._

 _"Either that or they think the wind simply blew the lanterns out and now they can't be bothered to come check," Fujin offered._

 _Clever._

 _Of course now it left them in pitch darkness where he couldn't see shit in front of him but maybe it was better that way._

 _It would be easier at least._

 _"Do you wish to continue?"_

 _In all honesty, Kung Jin wasn't entirely sure where his train of thought was going before- and he wasn't sure how to pick it back up now. They were both seemingly avoiding the topic at hand, not quite admitting what needed to be said, but leaving enough clues to get the hint. With how things were laid out right now, they could part ways knowing they were both on the same path. But... there was always that slim sliver of questioning._

 _"Let's just face it, Fujin," Kung Jin started, "you're in love with me, I'm in love with you. There's this whole God-mortal thing that's kind of weird but the crazy thing is that it's not the weirdest thing between us. That prize actually belongs to-"_

 _"I know where this is headed and I will ask you not to finish it," Fujin interrupted, and while a potential grin on the man's face could not be seen, it could certainly be heard. "I still have dealings with Master Bo' Rai Cho and I'm already struggling with seeing him again enough as it is."_

 _"And yet, you don't object to it."_

 _The Wind God gave out a chuckled sigh. "You knew I would not," Fujin admitted. "Now what is there left for us to do?"_

 _"Uh well, it's already late and I still have to sneak back to my room eventually," Kung Jin replied. "So unless there's something more to say here, I need to go."_

 _He did actually need to go- preferably now to avoid the night watch's walk around the temple. Not that he was all too worried about it but it was still one those things, one of those hassles that if he could avoid it than he wanted to avoid it. Not to mention he had studies in the morning and he may have fallen asleep during the last few sessions and he couldn't really afford to keep doing that._

 _Not to mention, while this conversation had gone better than he had anticipated, he still needed his time to think it over._

 _To let the information sink in._

 _To let the implications sink in._

 _To let the stress and anxiety from the entire day wear themselves off._

 _(More than likely through sleep- although Kung Jin didn't see himself sleeping much tonight.)_

 _"I think... what's been said is good enough," Fujin assured, although his expression seemed to imply otherwise. But if there was anything left for the Wind God to say, he was choosing to forgo it for the time being. "Now go, I do not wish to keep you up any further, lest it be my fault the night watch somehow catches you- and then I will have to hear it from Master Bo' Rai Cho. He is already on my case about my constant interruptions to your studies."_

 _"I'm telling you, the man doesn't know how to mind his own business."_

 _Despite the threat of the night watch, Kung Jin knew he could easily circle around and take a shortcut back towards the domestic wing- evading the night watch by cutting through the courtyards they had already checked over. Night time always gave him the perfect cloak and the lack of lantern lights would only aid his escape. If he had his entire run timed correctly, he could slip back into the temple without so much as stirring a candle. And do so before the night watch had a chance to start their secondary routines._

 _So basically easy in._

 _He could do it without breaking a sweat._

 _Kung Jin started on his way back towards the temple, which included moving past Fujin in order to backtrack over the hillside behind the God. And he managed to make it towards the God without issue for the most part- with the exception of his hand reaching out and grabbing Fujin by the vest as he started to pass by. There was slight hesitation before he pulled the Wind God into a quick kiss- succeeding in catching Fujin off-guard. Succeeding in recreating just a touch of the memories from a night not too long ago._

 _"With all things considered, sleep well tonight, Fujin."_


End file.
